Always
by spheeris1
Summary: X/G :: Multi-chapter thing that hopefully makes some kind of sense :: Post FIN :: Xena finds herself with the living once more and on a mission, while Gabrielle lives the life of the hunted... Who is pulling the strings? And will love win out?
1. Chapter 1

Part One

She didn't know how long she had been asleep, drifting in and out of the world...in and out of time. Xena knew that her own soul had reached peace, but her body would not catch up as quickly. The muscles and the bone and the tendons, living and breathing, walking and running and jumping - none of that here. Wherever **here** is. This calm limbo, this bright oasis... this serene nothingness.  
For a few months, the warrior could stay in the land of the still alive. She could coast alongside ships, could dissolve into sand, could reach out and touch... _You. I could once touch you, Gabrielle. I said that death could never separate us. But each day pulls me further away and now you can't see me as well._  
There was not a supreme being to greet her at the end of her days. No voice, no light, no Eli or archangels. Just day upon day of silence. And for a while, that was a good thing. Xena let the quiet wash over her, finding her mind clear of dark thoughts and guilt. She even could share this bliss with the bard, once or twice... Wind for fingertips, spelling messages to Gabrielle in the desert. And the bard would smile, albeit a sad form of smiling.  
"I'm happy for you, Xena."  
That was the last time they saw each other, really saw each other. Then the tug of some unknown place slowly took Xena away from Gabrielle and Egypt and grass and sky and everything. Her soul, now clean and unblemished, is free. And freedom means leaving for good. Freedom means no attachments to the earthly realm.  
_Leaving for good... My soul is free from pain and hate and sadness. Yet, it is not free from you, Gabrielle. Nor do I want it to be, but when you call for me and I cannot come to you... My soul can still ache for you, Gabrielle. My soul can still hurt for you. How can I leave you behind when you are a part of me?_  
These thoughts are persistent now, with each passing moment that Xena cannot see the bard. The warrior feels the stirrings of discontent once more, only this time it is not a need for redemption - it is a need for love.  
And with that very thought, so concrete and true, Xena finds the ethereal turn to blackness. For the first time in a long time, the warrior can feel something on her skin, along her arms and legs - it is the air.  
Like an apple from a tree, she is falling...

_Dirt. I feel dirt. And roots. And my back hurts like a centaur kicked it... which means... that... But that's impossible._  
Xena opens her eyes slowly, finding herself surrounded by trees. Trees and the night sky of the living world swirling above... _But that's impossible...right?_  
"I'm alive again."  
And Xena grins to hear her own voice echo out into the woods. She stands like a newborn, shaky legs and curious looks. But each step gets braver, more broad and sure. Every intake of air is deep, her lungs filling up with a substance she never thought she would miss.  
_Gabrielle..._ The name is a mantra in Xena's head. _Gotta find out where I am, how to find her, what is going on..._ And the warrior does wonder what is going on. How did this happen? And why?  
That is when she notices something in her hand. _Was that there the whole time?_ Parchment, slightly torn and crumpled, revealing a crude drawing of weapons. And a reward for the...  
"The last of the Amazons." Xena finishes out-loud, the words getting tangled up in her throat. The tattered poster offers huge sums for the capture of whatever is left of the Amazon nation.  
A familiar name tops the list. A blonde warrior, a fair queen, a talented bard. Xena grips the parchment tightly.  
"Is this why I was brought back?" She shouts to the night. And somewhere, in the darkness, a whisper answers 'yes'. A shadow follows Xena, watching the newly returned hero stumble and run.  
A shadow watches and waits to see if Xena will succeed...or fail.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

Gabrielle keeps her eyes on the fire, the picture of peace and unawareness. And those that are watching, they are fooled all too easily. She knows of her followers, three men at the most, tracking her as clumsily as children might.  
Each snap of a twig and rustle of leaves, Gabrielle hears them.  
And a part of her looks forward to this confrontation, that black-and-white place born many years ago - sometimes, you have to stand and fight.

One of them, thinking the woman asleep, slides along the edge of the small camp. He is nervous. His breathing is shallow. If Gabrielle took a deep enough intake of air, she could smell his sweat. And when he moves, trying to place a dagger into her back, she rolls quickly and into his feet. Tripping and falling to his knees, cursing and angry... Gabrielle knows it is just that easy. Easy to kick his arm, dislodge the weapon and thrust her elbow into his face. Easy to make him bleed, to drive him to the trees once more and slam one of her sais against his throat.

"Tell your friends to back off. Now."

He does, shouting in a voice barely past puberty. People will go to such great lengths for a few dinars. _Well, perhaps it is more than a few these days..._  
The friends must think he is lying or something, because they rush in. Gabrielle brings her feet upwards, using this man's chest for a springboard. He goes flying to the ground and she lands in front of her would-be attackers. Her own weapons, sais and staff, work quite well. There are moments, though, when she gets a bit of pleasure in using the weapon someone left behind. And this is one of them.  
Swords raised, they do not understand what is coming until it is too late. Gabrielle lets the chakram soar, with it years of memories and thoughts and death.  
Against the rock..._How many times did I watch you do this, Xena?_  
...and then the tree..._Is this how it felt to be you?_  
...ricocheting between two skulls..._If I wrote much anymore, I'd write prose about this weapon and you, Xena..._

Then it is over. She drags their unconscious bodies a few hundred feet from her camp. The other one must have taken off, scared and eager to get away with his life.  
Gabrielle takes a deep breath and begins to pack up. _Others will come now, they always do._

Gabrielle traveled far and wide that first year after Xena's death. She did a lot of good in the land of the Pharaohs, but her feet kept moving. On and on, until she reached mountains and harsh ground, fog and silence. She relished the solitude, the chance to... _Forgive and forget and be alone, anything to help with the sense of loss._  
She met people traveling in packs, looking much like those of the desert. And even though a difference in language prevented talking, it seemed as though communication was not truly needed.  
They let her sleep in one of the tents, let her help with herding a strange and cantankerous animal that loved to spit at you, fed her and even got her on a brown as mud horse.  
It was not great, but it was good. It was quiet. It was like being removed from all that had happened. Gabrielle felt some of her pain fade. She didn't have to avoid the sunsets. She didn't have to merely wait for the apparition of a dead woman to appear.  
Gabrielle could just exist.

But then a vision happened, changing everything. She dreamed of a black beach, from another time and place, familiar eyes finding her own. A sister in Amazon dress, pulling back the mask of queen. Varia's crying eyes and hand outstretched.  
**"You must come back. You must lead us or we will be no more."**  
Gabrielle left the next day, her body wound tight and her heart aching. Back to Greece, to paths known, to a place where love was found.

_Xena, I know you can't hear me anymore, but it is nice to pretend that you can... Everywhere I look, I see a time when we were together. Back in my homeland, I cannot ignore the fact that you are gone. But, as I go on in this life, I must let you go. Know that I love you, that I miss you..._

And Gabrielle lets the thought slip away. Now is the time to stand and fight, to help her sisters once more, to finally put the agony to rest. Her steps become faster, until she is running and running, burning off the nighttime and greeting the dawn.  
With the first light of day, Gabrielle stops and releases a cool stream of air from her lips, clasping her hands above her head.  
The trees answer and it is still like moons ago, when she first met the Amazons. A grin lights up her face.

_I am home._

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Always pt. 3**

Varia lowers herself to the ground, her eyes darting back and forth. Gabrielle watches the woman move, noticing the tension in her walk and the fists at her side. _Like someone who is being hunted._  
But the grip upon the bard's wrist is strong, it is sure and welcoming.  
"It has been a long time." And Varia lets her lips curve upward, pulling Gabrielle into an embrace.  
It is unexpected. _But so needed..._  
"I saw you in a vision -" Varia's hand covers Gabrielle's lips, stilling the words waiting there.  
"Not here. It is not safe."  
The bard is tugged along until they both stand among what is left of the Amazons, a mere band of women, huddled together under a tent of animal skins.  
They look at her with sad eyes, with angry faces, with the unmistakable feeling of despair.  
Gabrielle feels Varia's stare and finds what that gaze rests on. The bard slides her hand over the chakram, fighting the urge to grip it to her and shout 'it's mine' to all of them.

"Who is doing this?"  
Varia crosses her arms and shifts her eyes to the rest of the Amazons.  
"We do not know. Three months ago, two men came here and began to attack. They were easy enough to defeat, so I kept one alive to question him."  
The Gabrielle of old would have paled at this mention of Amazon justice, but the warrior in her keeps silent.  
"And?"  
"He shoves this poster at me, telling me that a friend of his got a thousand dinars for bringing the head of a Amazon from the north to someone in Greece. No one knows who this person is, what their grudge might be or where to find this person."  
One of the Amazon warriors from another land speaks up at this.  
"We should go further away. Our camp here is too well known."  
"And run away? What would our fore-mothers think of that kind of disgrace?" Another Amazon grumbles this loudly.  
_It is Helicon all over again. My sisters split apart, running and scared...dying..._  
Gabrielle looks to Varia, who is watching her. The Amazon, once so hot-headed, now seems so calm. The warrior then turns to the Amazons, who are caught up in their debate over a course of action.  
"Enough!" Varia shouts. "I must speak to Queen Gabrielle. Alone."  
With backward glances, they file out.

_I know you have questions, Varia. And I know about who...I see how every look you give me ends up at this weapon at my side. Surely, you know. Surely, news has spread, no matter how - in my grief - I told no one. Except Eve, she knows everything..._

"Are you okay?" Varia's voice breaks through and Gabrielle blinks.  
"Yes. Sorry."  
They stand there for minutes, not talking. Varia shifts on her feet several times, before sitting down.  
"You said you had a vision of me." Not a question, a statement.  
Gabrielle sits opposite and folds her arms across her chest.  
"Yes. We were at Helicon and you had on the mask of the Queen. You asked for my help."  
Varia smiles a little at that. "Anything else?"  
"No. It seemed rather...intense, so I made my way back."  
"From where?"  
"Far away."  
Varia cocks her head to the side and studies the bard. Gabrielle does not flinch under this scrutiny. Some part of her is removed, is cold now... _This is my home and yet my joy at being here is dampened. They say you can never go home again_...  
"You've changed." Again, a statement from the Amazon.  
"I know." And just saying it makes Gabrielle's body sag with weariness.

They discuss the attacks. They discuss possible enemies. They go over strategy and weaknesses and plans. Again, Varia comments on how much Gabrielle has changed. _More like a warrior, eh? More like you? Like a woman we both know?_  
"Varia, who do you think is doing this? Honestly."  
A sigh escapes Varia's mouth. "Honestly? I am fearful for my life, because I truly do not know. Every shadow is a threat now."  
"No one has seem them, talked to them, heard of them... It is like this person does not exist." Gabrielle murmurs softly.  
Lost in her pondering, the bard does not notice Varia stand up and begin to blow out the candles lighting up the tent.

"Queen Gabrielle?"  
Startled again, the bard feels her heart jump and, yet, her body stays still. _Yes, I am a warrior now. No going back._  
"What happened?"  
_Such a loaded inquiry...with many answers...but I know the one you want..._  
"Xena died."  
And with that, Gabrielle stands up and walks out, leaving Varia to extinguish the last light. The bard walks quickly, finding her emotions tangled up with her need to be hard, creating hot tears that flood her cheeks.

_Xena died. And everything changed._

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

**always pt. 4**

Part Four

Xena notices several things as she moves. _I am never out of breath._ And the warrior realizes she has no urge for food or water. That is when the questions begin as she runs effortlessly through the woods, along the paths and all night, all day.  
_What am I?_

She passes through a village, one that is all too quiet. She is cautious, nervous back among the living. Blue eyes dart around. And if she listens intently enough, she can hear... beyond the edges of reality... _A voice..._ But it is broken by the sudden rumble of hooves upon the ground. Xena jumps back, startled. The voice is lost in a haze of dust.  
_What is going on with me?_

The warrior stays to herself. She ignores the inn. She bypasses the ragtag market. She clutches the now frayed parchment in her tireless hands. _Gabrielle...what is this all about?_ In her former life, Xena found it hard to feel things, to allow emotions. Yet, her body moved with a grace, an ease. Now... _I feel too much, sense too much. I am aware, then not._  
Even her own thoughts seem different. They focus with unnerving precision.  
_I am not like before._  
Xena looks at the paper in her grasp once more. She studies the threat, mulling it over and over. _Who wants the Amazons dead? There are no gods, no vengeful sons or name-making warlords behind this pursuit... Who has this kind of wealth?_

The ground shakes again, revealing the same group of men on horseback as moments ago. It seems celebratory - and Xena then sees why. Dragged by her arms, a young woman with the markings of a fighter upon her face... an Amazon.  
Before anyone can react, Xena is up, rushing toward the girl.  
Her fingers tighten, turning into a fist and connects with someones face... then another and another, until every man there is running, bloody and beaten.  
She releases the Amazon, cradling her broken face.

"You...you are..." Weak. Fading. The girl can barely form words.  
Xena curses the fact that she didn't notice the girl before, so caught up in her own confusion, her own mind.  
"I am Xena. **Who** did this to you?"  
And the woman smiles, a brilliant and dying expression.  
"Artemis..." The Amazon whispers.

_The goddess Artemis? She would not hurt the Amazons._  
Xena sets up the pyre and lights it.  
_But they are all gone. Artemis is gone._  
The warrior stands back, arms crossed and looks to the sky. Smoke rises up, red and yellow sparks shoot forth.  
_Unless..._  
And Xena feels the tingle up her spine, the sense of being watched. _This voice, this sensation of being followed for days..._  
"I know you are out there." Xena says quietly, before turning away from the make-shift funeral and back to the road, back to racing to the Amazons, to Gabrielle.

_To An Answer._


	5. Chapter 5

**Part Five**

Xena feels no need for sleep, yet the force of habit causes her to settle down and shut her eyes. Her mind, however, is still on. Kind of like before, when she was alive... _Funny, I am back here and breathing, but I don't feel like me. Am I truly alive again? Or is this just an illusion?_

**'You are real, because I wanted you to be.'**

Xena does not open her eyes at all, not shocked to find this disembodied voice lurking about. She has felt this presence for days, following at a distance and speaking too softly. Now, it is clear.

"Who are you?" Xena asks evenly. _No need for impatience. That never works anyway._ A rustling of leaves, a cool wind sliding over the warrior's legs and arms and face.  
**'I am the reason you have been reborn.'**  
"Reborn? Is that why I feel so differently than before?"  
**'You are still you and, then again, you are not.'**  
At that, Xena opens her eyes, shooting her gaze to the left and to the right. And no one is there. _Figures._  
"I'm not much for riddles. Tell me what is going on."  
In spite of the oddity of the whole exchange, the smallest of chuckles floats out from the trees and tugs at Xena's very soul, lighting up the spark of recognition...of understanding within the warrior.

**'What happens to the spirits of goddesses, Xena? Can you unearth that answer? Do you intend to fight for the greater good this time as well... or will you fall into other eager hands?'**

And now it is dawn. Xena finds her feet moving faster and faster, realizing just what is at stake and who is playing this game. _And what I must do._ And time, always a troublesome thing, is not on her side.

They are running. Nimble feet going where so few can go, scaling the heights of so many limbs and branches. Gabrielle used to dream of doing these things...all the fighting, the glory, the sisterhood. _I thought I was getting better, feeling better. Instead, being back home is just tearing me apart._  
And they are running away. Despite the need to defend the camp and their own honor, there will be no Amazons if no Amazon is left living. Varia, in one of her many uncharacteristic moves of late, asked for Gabrielle's counsel. The young woman listened and agreed to the idea of picking up, moving on...for now. _She is not even balking at this queen business, letting me take charge...Varia thinks I am the only one who has changed?_

It isn't long before someone gets the bright idea to try and find them, tracking them from the ground. An arrow hits one girl in the shoulder. Gabrielle watches the poor girl dig fingernails into bark and slide down, screaming in pain. _And so it begins again. No peace. Always a war going on. Oh Xena...was this truly your life? It never stops, does it? Someone is always trying to win, aren't they?_  
The bard knows she is a duality these days. Struggling to maintain her light, her joy - and then, she is lifting her weapons and she uses them with skill. The tiny tendril in her youth that liked the ability to stick up for herself is now a twisted and thorny vine.  
And with each thrust of something sharp into foreign skin, Gabrielle questions the meaning of everything she ever believed about herself.

At least until the fighting is over. Three dead men, four bleeding and captured. One Amazon dead. Five wounded.  
Gabrielle tends to the wounds of all of them. She looks these would-be killers in the eye, not afraid to show compassion and coldness all in her emerald eyes. _I am not too far gone. I am still me. Aren't I?_  
This is not the first time since Xena's demise that the bard has had to dig deep and find out if she was still whole.  
_Still living, still capable of feeling..._

Eve was the only one who tried to soothe Gabrielle's soul. The bard thought the strength would be there in order to console the girl, to be the shoulder that would hold Eve's tears. And the girl was sad, terribly so, but also at peace. _Just like Eli. What did I expect?_  
"Mother is happy now, Gabrielle. Her soul can finally find comfort and rest."  
"She visits me."  
And Eve reaches out, cupping the bard's cheek in her warm hands. Such a role reversal... Eve is the older one and Gabrielle like the hurting child.  
"The bond you two share, not even the powers of Heaven can stop that. It is her way of letting you know she is okay. She is well."  
A sob escapes, ragged and despairing. "It...is too...hard. To see her, to feel her near and to know...she is gone."  
Gabrielle falls to her knees and Eve holds her, not letting go all through the days and nights that followed.  
_I wish I could be like that, Eve. I wish I could just believe. It is like the only thing that I am here for...is to fight._

With that thought, a rumble of laughter rolls in like thunder, billowing down and along Gabrielle's spine. She shivers and looks around. Varia is checking the perimeter. The fire is lit. The Amazons are tense.  
_Did no one else hear that...that laugh?_  
And for a second, the bard swears she catches movement in the shadows.  
A dark thing. Sinister.  
And it is watching. And waiting.


	6. Chapter 6

**part six **

_This is a dream._  
Gabrielle knows this and, yet, she cannot awake from it. Her heart beats like a drum, pushing at her skin and threatening to burst forth. And she is searching, digging through the dirt and the leaves and rocks...  
_This is a dream... right?_  
Her hands grab onto something solid and smooth. She is smiling, so very happy now that she has it.  
_It... What is it?_  
Her eyes look upward and her arms open, waiting and waiting. Then he is there.  
Sweeping over her body, into her bones and blood, taking over.  
_This is a dream, only a dream, just a dream..._

Gabrielle is silent as the Amazons move alongside her. The bard can sense the others wanting a break, but she cannot stop. _That dream..._ Gabrielle finds the images haunting her. And, more than that, scaring her.  
She felt such power, such joy, such... _I did not feel like myself anymore. I felt invincible._  
"Queen Gabrielle!" A shout from behind and Varia's hand gripping her arm. Two more feet and Gabrielle would have been at the bottom of a ravine. She darts her eyes to the Amazon and mumbles a 'thank you'.  
"Maybe we should rest. For now." Varia says to the others, but Gabrielle knows it is directed at her. _I have to stay sharp, now more than ever. I can't let them down. What is going on with me?_  
The bard leans against a tree and sighs. _Xena...I wish you were here. I wish I could reach out and find you there, find your comfort and solace. I wish...so many things..._

**You can have everything your heart desires, if you let me help you.**

Gabrielle spins around and finds no one there. _But I am sure I heard someone speak to me...Am I losing my mind?_ The bard feels tears slide down her face silently.  
She doesn't wipe them away.

The temple, once a place of worship and gifts, is empty. Xena looks around, seeking out the voice from the night before.  
"I know you are here." The warrior says in a sing-song voice.  
A cool wind picks up, blowing leaves to and fro. And though a body never appears, an energy is present. Xena can catch glimpses of it from the corner of her eye.

**'You know who I am and why you are here.'**

The warrior leans against a dusty wall, letting her gaze move around slowly, taking in the decay of an ancient deity's home.  
"I am beginning to understand, yes. Maybe you'd like to fill in the gaps."

**'Are you able to answer the riddle?'**

Xena feels her jaw tighten in frustration. _Old habits do die hard..._  
"I wake up, back on Earth, alive and with abilities that I did not have before... I am never tired, never hungry, no need for the normal human requirements. Kind of like a god."

**'One of my children, you met her in that village... she saw me within you. Do you remember?'**

And Xena did, the final piece coming into place. _But how...?_

"You are dead."

**'Yes. But my spirit, along with others, still exist. And in this time of peril for my Amazons, I needed help. That is why I brought you back. To save them.'**

"From who? Who is doing this? Another god or goddess?" Xena could feel something inside of her getting nervous. _Gabrielle, I need to get to you. This unease I am feeling... it is very dangerous._

**'Xena of Amphipolis, if you let me guide you and assist you in battle, I promise you a true home for your soul, with my Amazons. Not the blankness you have been in.'**

"You didn't answer me. Who is doing this?"

A shift in the the atmosphere and Xena felt the tingling along her spine, her body giving in to another force, letting this energy in... if only for a moment.

**'It is Zeus.'**  
_Why would he want the Amazons dead?_  
**'He wants power back. And nothing, nor no one, matters to him.'**  
_Wouldn't his spirit have been destroyed when Hercules--_  
**'Our souls remain when followers remain. The one God did not wipe all of them away. We still hear them and still try to be there for them. Zeus is ready to return.'**

Xena finds herself slumped on the stone floor. Alone.  
She walks unsteadily outside, shielding her eyes from the sun.  
_If this is what I must do... to save the Amazons, to save Gabrielle... then I will, Artemis._

"Do you hear me? I will help you, one last time."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**part seven **

_And so it begins..._  
Xena finds herself standing at the edge of Amazon territory. The ever-present whisper of Artemis at her back.

**'Xena, you must be sure. Once I am within you, you will have more power than ever. But you must do what you have promised. You must save the Amazons.'**

"I know." Xena answers softly. The spirit moves around the warrior, swaying to and fro.

**'You still have concerns.'**

"I have too many to count, Artemis. I...I am nervous for the first time in my existence."

**'How can I set your mind at ease?'**

"How does killing the Amazons give Zeus power? And...why choose me to save them? My daughter is the reason for the twilight. For your--"

**'For my demise, yes, I have not forgotten. Zeus wishes to gain back power in the living world and the more followers he gathers, the more chance he has. Anyone connected to the one god is a threat, so they must be eliminated.'**

Xena feels her heart stop, constricting from the sharp and painful realization. _Gabrielle...it is you he will come after..._ The warrior clears her throat.

"What of my daughter?"

**'The messenger of the one god is already protected. But you see now, do you not? You see why I have chosen you.'**

"Because of Gabrielle." Xena lets a bit of human reaction follow, letting her body sag slowly to the ground.

**'You are her champion, even in death. She has not chosen anyone else to protect her... and thus, you are the one I had to bring back. Only you can reach her before Zeus does, Xena of Amphipolis.'**

_Gabrielle, I just wanted to come back to you. I didn't want to fight anymore and I didn't want to be dead... I just wanted to return to you, to us... And wherever you are, you are hunted. You are in danger.  
I wonder what you would think, to see me here and about to accept a goddess into my body, my mind... All for the greater good. All for..._

"Well, there is no point in waiting. I need to find her. And stop Zeus."

**'Thank you.'**

And like that, Xena feels a pulse winding through her body, like the hum after lightening strikes. _It is powerful, it is intoxicating..._  
Artemis is living with each breath the warrior princess takes.  
Xena can hear her as well, but it just thoughts... _My thoughts, her thoughts, one in the same._

"Let's go." She says aloud, taking the first steps as a goddess and ghost, together.

The other Amazons are worried. Nervous. And Varia cannot blame them. _Our Queen is losing her mind._

"Varia, you should take control!" One of the Amazons hisses. Varia shoots them a look and everyone becomes quiet.  
A timid girl, barely over her 18th moon, speaks up.  
"Where is she taking us? To other Amazons?"  
"There are no other Amazons, Cyrus." Varia says sharply.  
"Then where? Where are we going?" The girl asks again, her voice taking on the tone of one who is scared.  
And Varia has no answer for them. Gabrielle is more and more of a mystery, sleeping away from camp and traveling like the fire of Hades is at her back.  
"Everyone, just remain calm. I am sure the place Queen Gabrielle is taking us is safe."  
_I hope I am right. For all our sakes._

Gabrielle wants to sleep. _If I rest, though, I can hear him. Whoever he is. Taunting me, tempting me..._  
The bard wondered if it was Ares, at first. But the god of war was never one for shyness. _He would just pop up and annoy me to my face. Besides, she doubted Ares knew she was back yet. Or about Xena..._  
She keeps her distance from the Amazons, however. The increase in her paranoia...well, Gabrielle knows how it looks to them.  
_Like I am insane. Which, perhaps, I am._

**'I can cure you of these ills, Gabrielle.'**

The blonde covers her ears, digging her fingernails into her scalp.

"Leave me alone." She whispers brokenly. _If I had not been there to see most of the immortals die, I would swear this is the Furies!_

**'Not quite.'**

At this, Gabrielle stands up quickly. Her hands automatically draw her sais and thrusts them before her.  
"Who are you?" And she knows she is yelling, but does not care.  
"Show yourself! You cannot be an immortal, for they are all gone! If you are not real, then...it is..."  
And she is crying, awash in terror and anger. She does not notice Varia watching her from the shadows, a look of shock on the young woman's face.  
The bard throws the sais, the force driving them deep into a tree.  
"If you are not real, then it is true... I am mad." Gabrielle whispers, dropping to her knees.  
Varia takes a tentative step toward the Amazon queen. And Gabrielle does not move, not even when Varia places an awkward arm about her shoulders.  
"You saw all of that, then." Gabrielle states.  
Varia nods a silent 'yes'.  
"I do not know if I can protect the Amazons."  
The young woman looks closely at Gabrielle with this sentence.  
"What are you--" But the bard interrupts her.  
"In my vision, you had the queen's mask. I think I should let you take command, give you my right of caste. I am not safe for any of you now."

Varia pulls her arm away.  
"What?"  
The blonde gets up at this and begins to gather her belongings. Varia watches her, mute.  
"I am not sure what is going on, Varia. If I am mad, then I am a danger. If I am not, then..."  
"Then what?"  
"I am not sure, but it does not seem good."  
They stare at each other for a moment or two, until Gabrielle finds the woman looking at the chakram. Again.  
The bard turns away.  
"Xena taught me that grief must happen, that to not let go of anger or sadness would just poison me. Is that what is going on with you?"  
The question catches Gabrielle off guard. _Grief? No... I am familiar with grief, Varia. I feel that every day, every second._

But the bard never answers. She leaves Varia standing there, in the night.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

Day. Night. Days. Nights.  
_I can't stop. I can't stop running. Dreaming._

During the day, she runs. Her feet do not abide walking or standing still. She runs until every muscles aches. And even then, she keeps going.  
Night slips down and she does not fight the slumber, the heaviness of her eyelids or the shallow intake of air into her lungs.  
It is a fitful sleep, full of visions and realities... nightmares... wishes...

Sleep. Wake. Sleep. Wake.  
_I don't know who I am anymore._

And now, Gabrielle begins to talk back to this voice, this deep timbre lurking in the shadows.

"Who are you?"  
**'I am your salvation.'**  
"Why are you talking to me?"  
**'To save you.'**

In her dreams, Gabrielle finds herself in a great hall. Marble and gold, airy and bright... And some part of her feels at home, though she has never set foot in such a place.  
The sound from her lips is deep. The strength in her body is tenfold what she possesses now. _I am like a god._

In other dreams, Gabrielle feels warm arms around her waist. The promise of love, shown in a kiss upon the lips... Sweetness lingers, the wonderful taste of Xena. Eyes shine back, blue like the sky in summer. And a smile, turning the bard's insides to liquid. _I am in love with this woman._

**'You can see her again, you know. I can make that happen.'**

The bard knows this is a lie, perhaps made of her own mind. After endless moments of fleeing and hiding, Gabrielle is ripe for a delusion.  
_Or two, or three... I don't know if I can keep fighting..._

"How can you help me?" She asks softly, letting the words drift into the early morning dew. And a touch against her brow, determined and dangerous...

Xena feels her thoughts working together, the knowledge of Artemis like a second mind. _And that is a good thing, because this isn't going to be easy._  
The home of the Amazons - empty as a tomb.  
Huts abandoned. Fires long dead. Hides removed and dust in their place.  
The warrior knew it would not be simple. _Nothing ever is..._

The subtle pull in her gut, telling her to go south. _South it is._  
And the last of her human form, eyes finding clues and tracking the Amazons. The pulse within her neck beats faster. _My excitement or hers... I do not know... Probably both._

And the questions do not stop, even as she searches.  
_Who cares for Eve?...Eli. Can I reach Gabrielle?...She is hidden now._  
All answers within. _Is this what it is like to know all?...Yes and no._  
Xena cannot help but smirk to herself.  
_I knew there was a reason I never wanted to be an immortal. You have to know too much about too many._

Something draws her attention to the left and Xena pauses mid-step.  
_I am not alone._  
She circles back about twenty feet and then launches herself up, landing quite comfortably in a tree.  
Silence at first, but then a familiar voice echoes to her ears.  
"Xena. You might as well come down..."  
_Hmmm. How might this work?_  
The warrior drops down effortlessly and finds the god of war standing, arms crossed.

"I wondered when you'd get back to Greece. How long has it been? A year?"  
"Something like that."  
"Did you finally miss me?" That familiar grin, familiar humor...  
_He has no idea what has happened. Or is happening. Or does he?_  
Xena is never one for sidestepping an issue and she grins back.  
"Heard from your father lately?"  
Ares loses some of his good nature, but keeps the grin in place.  
"Just as...**humorous** as ever. I didn't miss that part of you, Xena."  
_He senses that things are changing. Talk about the Amazons._  
"I hear that someone has taken a real shine to hunting Amazons. Know anything about that?"  
"Surely you are not pointing the finger at me?"  
"No...not yet."  
At this, Ares chuckles and comes closer.  
"I don't have to waste my time with Amazons, Xena. What, is your little sidekick in trouble? Again?"  
_Smug bastard, I should...Don't hurt him. He knows something. Or he might be in league with Zeus...I wonder how the pinch would work with all this new power?_

The inner thought process finally over, the warrior princess finds Ares staring at her.  
"Xena? Still there?"  
"Ares, do you know what happens to the spirits of dead gods and goddesses? They don't go away. They just find new bodies." With that comment, the warrior pushes at the god of war, sending him flying back.

And Xena wishes this was not such a dire situation, because nothing is as funny as a shocked god.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Part Nine

Part Nine

"Are you...?" Ares looks dumbfounded as he gets up.  
_He knows something. Focus._  
"Look Ares, I'd love to catch up with you, but I've asked you a couple of questions and you have not answered them."  
"Hold on, Xena... I mean, I've got some questions as well. Like when did you obtain the powers of a god?"  
"Recently."  
Ares rolls his eyes and waits for another explanation. None is forthcoming.  
"Xena, I--"  
At this, the warrior reaches out and lifts him up by the front of his vest.  
"So... do you know who is hunting the Amazons?"  
The god of war makes a distinct growling noise of irritation.  
"Just one flick of the wrist, Xena and you'll have to put me down."  
"I'd think first before doing that, Ares. Now with my godly abilities, I don't think you are a match for me."  
She can see the wheels turning behind the god of war's eyes and they are turning in her favor.  
"Followers of Zeus." He says with a sigh. Xena drops him to the ground.  
"You know, I don't think I like you as a god." Ares grumbles, dusting off his clothing.  
_Time to head south, find Gabrielle, and then find these followers of Zeus...He may know more...I'm sure he does, but I don't have time..._  
"Xena? Hello?"  
"Thanks for the chat, Ares."  
The warrior princess walks away, only to hear the god of war shout about her first question, the one about the spirits of gods and goddesses and where they go... _They find new bodies, new souls, new lives..._  
But Xena doesn't answer him.  
_South. Keep going south._

**'If you come to me, make it completely. Only then will your suffering end, only then can you see her again.'**

And it is morning, the sky still shaking off the remains of night, of darkness. For the first time in a long time, she is not tired. She is not weary. In fact, she is full of energy and vigor.  
She still does not know who this person is, this man, that is now..._Inside of me, he lives in me, like blood..._  
But Gabrielle feels new. Alive. Strong.  
_I don't feel broken anymore. I feel powerful._  
**Time to go. Time to return home.**

"Yes...it is time to go. I need to reclaim...my life."

Her feet move like on air, taking her further and further, until she reaches the run-down remains of a mausoleum. It looks so familiar to her new eyes. It brings up pangs of heartache and longing. _I've only felt like this once before, when Xena..._**Shhh...Soon, you may see her soon. Now, find it.**

And so she digs. The dirt does not stick to her body and she does not sweat. _Isn't this like my dream?..._  
Then her hands find purchase upon a smooth rock, long as her forearm. It is blue and white. _How beautiful. What is it?_  
**Take it to the temple at the foot of Olympus.**

This swirling sensation carries her forth, step after step... Even in the night, she can see. Any people that she comes across give her room.  
_I am a god. To them, I am a god. A god..._  
It sounds good to Gabrielle's ears, to her soul.  
And if she were to truly listen, if she were to find the place in her that shattered with Xena's passing - she would know how wrong all of this is.  
But grief is a funny thing. _Varia was right about that._

_I was feeling nothing but pain. Now, I feel perfect. And I just might be able to see Xena again..._

Grief is a funny thing. It will make you trust those you should not. It will make you desperate. It will break your spirit and your mind, leaving you ready for any way out.

_And now I have it._  
With that, Gabrielle finds herself in the temple. And she is not alone. Twenty figures are there, cloaked and chanting. They turn collectively to her and then drop to their knees.

"All hail the return of Zeus!" They shout.

Xena keeps moving, worry gnawing at her gut. _Still no sign of her? You sure?...I do not sense her with my Amazons. I fear what this means._  
"Yea, me too." Xena replies softly.

Xena finds it easy to let her thoughts roam into Artemis, to talk to the goddess inside of her own skin. _My queen opened your soul...Yes, she did...Love shared is powerful. It will help with this quest._

Even though they share a body, Xena lets some questions hang and Artemis does not attempt to answer them. _The answers might not be to my liking._

A call from above and Xena pauses, throwing her hands up in the Amazon greeting of peace. It is not long before the Amazons come closer.  
Varia is the one who shouts at the others to stay back, the young Amazon's face deathly white as she halts her movement forward.  
Xena takes a step, but Varia is having none of that.  
"Stop! Who are you? What trick is this?" The Amazon draws her sword quickly and points it at Xena.  
"Varia--" _She knows of my death...Hmmm. How to explain this?_  
Xena clears her throat and keeps her hands in front of her, anything to let Varia know no harm will come.  
"Listen, this might sound crazy, but I am Xena. I am not dead. I am here to help..."  
"You lie!" Varia motions at Xena's hip with the sword. "Xena would never go without her chakram. You are just another two-bit warlord, trying to kill us. But to pretend to be a former friend of the Amazons...? That warrants your death. Amazons!"

_Damn. Anytime you want to jump in, Artemis._  
Xena fends off the women with ease, trying her best not to hurt them. Each one battled down, Varia charges last.  
The warrior princess grabs the sword and lets the blade slice her skin, only to watch it seal up again. Varia's eyes go wide and she stumbles back.

"What are you?" Varia gasps. And without feeling it, Xena's arm shoots out and her palm molds to Varia's forehead.  
Xena knows, somewhere deep in her mind, that Artemis is speaking to the young Amazon, telling her the amazing tale of Xena's rebirth.  
_Of my new mission, my chance to rest well with the souls of the departed, to save the Amazons... To save Gabrielle..._

That is the first thing that registers to Xena's mind, the name of the one person Xena would move mountains for, the one person that the warrior princess would trade oblivion for...  
"What?"  
"I said that Gabrielle is not here, Xena...Artemis..."  
"Forget that. Gabrielle is not with you?"  
"No. She left three days ago." Varia looks to the ground and Xena has to fight the urge to jerk the woman's head back up.  
"Why?"  
"Her mind...it is troubling her, I think. Badly."

_Could it be...? Already?...I fear it is too late. It could be that I cannot feel her because Zeus has her now...What will he do?...He will take over her body, like I have with you, and use her to destroy enemies._

"I won't let that happen." And Xena did not know it was spoken out loud until she feels Varia's stare.  
The warrior princess closes her eyes briefly, wishing that she could turn back time, before Japa, before death and redemption.  
_I wish I could have met Gabrielle, just randomly. Quietly. A smile or an understanding. I wish I could look over and find her there, feel her hand in mine. I wish so many things..._

"Artemis told you everything."  
"Yes."  
"Then you know there is quite a battle ahead."  
Varia nods. Xena grips the Amazon's shoulder.  
"We've got to find Gabrielle first."

_The rest can be worked out later._

_TBC_


	10. Chapter 10

Part Ten

Part Ten

Power.  
Black and still bright, winding up her legs and around her hips. It is like a serpent, slithering and silent. And voices, so many voices, chanting and worshiping.  
Hands, hoisting and holding her... _I am reborn._

And inside, a tiny room in the mind, reserved for one bard. Where she sits, dazed and blank.  
_I can rest. He will take over. And I can rest. I can see her again. He said so._  
The skin is the same, the face is similar - but everything is different.  
Her movements are graceful, her eyes are sharp... _I am perfect._

Gabrielle's lips quirk slowly, spreading into a satisfied grin. Anyone looking, anyone who didn't know her, would think she is happy.  
**And I am. Very happy**... And Gabrielle's smile becomes wider as she is put down upon the ground, facing the humble upon their knees in reverence.  
She hears her new name and loves it.

"Zeus...Zeus...Zeus..."

Her fingers find purchase within a followers hair and jerks him upward.

"Yes. I have returned. And those of you here, the faithful to the Gods... You will be rewarded for your servitude. But first, we have enemies to face."

The cloaked figures remained silent. The one she had her hand upon, he kept his eyes on her at all times... waiting, eager...

"Raise your arms in battle. We have a world to win back." And with that, she let him drop.

_Such power. It is intoxicating._

If anyone were looking and didn't know her, they would say Gabrielle is a leader, a warrior, a force to reckoned with. Deep down, the bard keeps quiet.

The warrior princess is having several problems at once. _And I don't like problems._

Firstly, Varia cannot stop looking. Staring. _It is starting to really bug me...Can you blame her? She thought you were dead._ Xena growls audibly and moves faster, getting some distance from the rest of the Amazons.

_And the trail Gabrielle left is not cold, but it is certainly not warm. Dammit it all! ...Calm yourself, Xena. Focus._

"Focus? I've done nothing but focus! Where is she? Why can't you just find her?" Xena yells suddenly. She can feel eyes on her. The warrior turns an angry glare toward the woods and the eyes look away.

"We are taking a break. Rest now, because you won't get another chance anytime soon!" Xena shouts to the Amazons with her back turned. Then the warrior princess walks away slowly, finding somewhere hidden and slumps down to the ground.

_Do not lose hope. She will be found...You are very optimistic for an immortal. Thought you didn't care for the concerns of humans...I think you know that is not true. I love my Amazons._

"I need time alone." Xena says quietly, cradling her head in her hands. And Artemis is silent.

She lets her eyes close and turns her hearing to the path ahead. Birds, wind, very distant horse hooves upon the dirt. Even without Artemis, in her former life, Xena could do this. That was one reason why she never felt the need to be a god - she had honed her body and her senses to such a level that all an immortal could offer was eternal life.  
_And I have lived long enough._

Or, at least, that is what Xena used to believe. She got oblivion. _And I didn't want it anymore. I wanted to come back, to have..._

A flood of memories assail her, of the girl Gabrielle used to be and the woman she became. _Of who I used to be. Of who I am without you, Gabrielle._

"I will find you, just in case you can hear me...out there somewhere. I will find you and make things right." Xena whispers.

She gets up soon after and rallies the Amazons once more. They keep a wary distance, except for Varia. _Can't let me out of her sight._

Ares is suspicious. _If what Xena says is true, then does that mean Zeus is returning?_  
So, hearing the rumors of attacks and such, he goes to the temple at Mount Olympus. _Since I didn't inspire the attacks..._

"Fresh ash and incense... well, it wouldn't be the first time good ol' dad kept me out of the loop. Right, Zeus?" Ares said aloud.

A light chuckle graces the god of war's ears and he turns around, expect the ghost of Zeus to be standing there. _What the...?_

The face he is greeted with is very familiar and is lit up with mirth at Ares obvious shock. The god of war smiles uncertainly.

"Didn't expect to find you here, Gabrielle."  
"I'm sure."

And the bard circles Ares slowly. Xena's words are echoing in his ears now. _They find new bodies, eh? Dad has a real sense of humor._

"I do, don't I?" The bard laughs from behind Ares. The god of war spins around.

"So, it is true? The mighty Zeus in the body of Gabrielle... What are you planning?"  
"As if I would tell you, my son." The last bit, though in Gabrielle's voice, is spat out with no affection.  
"What? Still haven't forgiven me?" Ares questions.

Gabrielle walks to the entrance of the temple and snaps her fingers. The twenty figures, no longer cloaked, come out. Shining armor and sharp weapons, ready for battle and for death.

"These are my warriors."  
"What? A handful of followers? Come on..."  
Ares doesn't get to finish his comment, however, as slender hands pick the god of war up by his neck. Unlike with Xena, this grip is much stronger. And deadlier.

"You have no vision, Ares. I intend to take back what is rightfully mine. The time of the one god is over."

Ares feels Zeus, beyond the bard, gazing at him with a fond expression.

"Not...getting...sentimental...are...you...?" Ares chokes out.  
The glint in those green eyes gets colder.

"No. I just suspect that even peaceful Gabrielle here wouldn't mind if I snapped your neck."

She lets him drop and Ares mutters about that not being the first time today that that has happened.

"You see, Ares, there is no way I cannot win. Xena must either kill this body and me with it. Or she must die. The Amazons must die. Anyone not loyal to me must die."  
"You might have some surprises in store for you."  
"What? You mean, Xena getting help from Artemis?"

Gabrielle laughs heartily at this. Ares, again not for the first time today, stares in wonder.

"Not sure I like you as a god either." The god of war says.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

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**Part Eleven of Always**

**Xena. Awaken. It is time.**

Warrior princess, forgiven soul and dead bones... _It is time._

It started as a whispered thing, a secret in the nighttime. Then the attacks came, every break of dawn found Xena and the Amazons defending themselves from warlords... from killers... from loyalists to the Gods.

_Must be getting close, eh Artemis?_... **Zeus waits for us. For you.**

Each step toward Olympus brings more stone arrows, more blades... And blood, much more blood. Soaking the ground with body after body, life pouring into the dirt. Men and Amazons, already enemies most of the time - more so now.

Xena is able to fight and still watch, like her mind is split. _Which it is. I am two people at once._ She spins her leg out and sweeps a man to the ground. And Artemis raises the sword, carving out a hole in his chest.

Beyond the battle, the running of feet and the sounds of death, Xena listens. She waits for a sign. _Anything, Gabrielle, anything. Just give me something!_

And that is when the road ahead seems to explode, sending a mixture of Chin's black powder and Greek fire through the trees. The fire turns the world into ash for endless minutes.  
Varia grabs Xena's arm and jerks her down.

"It's...trailed along the... the...roadside...lines of...black..." The Amazon sputters and coughs the words out.

Xena feels the dust and heat, yet her eyes stay clear. Clear and sharp, staring ahead... past the fire, past the shimmer of this inferno.

**Xena, Zeus is here.**

And one by one, head-hunters and Amazons begin to fall. Burned bodies, charred flesh. Xena recalls a memory of another time, another life.  
_Not now. That is over. Not now, I need to focus._

So, Xena rises up and drags Varia with her.

"You need to fall back!" The warrior princess shouts. Varia struggles and yells.  
"No! Not... leaving my... sisters... not dishonor... them!"

**Send them to the river. Let me take over.**

"Go to the river, take them quickly!"  
"What...about...you?" Varia heaves the question out, soot covering her body.  
"Go now!"

And Xena shoves her away, watching for a brief moment as the women run, stumbling and crawling away. A few of the attackers do the same.  
The warrior can feel Artemis rocking under her skin, turning and twisting with building power.

Then the charge begins. Xena runs forward, into the flames. They do not touch her. Not a single hair torched.  
She sees them then, armored soldiers. She sees the glint of golden weaponry, all aiming at her form.

_I don't like this deja-vu, Artemis._

"What will it be Ares? Another betrayal? Or will you join me, your father, this time?"  
"As far as I can see, Pops, what I did back then doesn't matter because you are still around."

Zeus chuckles and it hardens Gabrielle's features. Ares turns his head quickly at a not-so-distant explosion. _Hmmm, might be time to make some kind of decision..._

"For the God of War, you are certainly sentimental. All this indecision about one woman, about Xena."

Zeus feels his hold slip a little at saying that name aloud, feels Gabrielle surge a bit at that name and he struggles to push her back.

**Not now, little one, not with everything you want so close.**

"And tell me, Ares, did you get what you wanted by letting your family die?"

The god of war stays silent. Zeus laughs out loud and claps Ares on the back.

"Choose wisely, my son. I am but the first to return. Once I am back, all of them will return. We shall reign once more."

Gabrielle hears it, somewhere far above her head, in the a place of confusion and pain and light. She hears a name that is familiar.  
A name that causes her heart to beat faster and her fingers to clench at air.  
_Xena. Xena..._

Every time she looks for more than that, a firm hand keeps her still.

_Xena... Xena..._

It sounds so nice as it rings in her ears. She can roll this name around on her tongue. She wants to hold this Xena close.

_Xena... _

And Gabrielle is shouting, trying to get out of this dark place and back to the light, back to knowing and seeing and feeling...

_Xena... find me..._

"What will it be? Now, before I take the field and regain my kingdom!"

And Ares reaches out his hand slowly, shaking a pale hand.

"Alright. I won't help Xena this time... but I won't help you either. We can discuss the particulars when, and if, you win."

Gabrielle's face turns into a sneer.

"So be it."

The god of war takes one last look at the body of Gabrielle, the bard, as she walks from the temple and towards a war. It is still her, but with the hint of electric blue along the edge of her arms and legs. The current of Zeus.

_So be it_, Ares thinks before snapping his fingers and disappearing.

It is not long before fighting breaks out at the river. Varia sidesteps a blade to her side and grabs this man's arm, slamming her elbow into his own and hearing the snap of bone.

Everyone first plunged into the cold water and let the coal-like substance wash away. Varia was dragging two women to the edge of the river when the attackers bust through. They were all in just as bad of shape, yet still determined to 'collect'.

_People will go to great lengths for some dinars._

Varia watches as her own skin peels some, leaving a raw trail along her arm. Her blood is all over her animal skins. There is blood and flesh everywhere. Any other time, she'd be sick. It was a little known fact that Varia, for all her talk, was a tad squeamish.  
And this is bad - bodies of her sisters, burned and broken. The Amazon feels no sympathy for the attackers, their wails of pain as the hit the river and the chilled water.

_You hunt my kind, so your death is welcomed._

Varia tries to assess the damage to her tribe, all the while thinking on Xena and Artemis, all the while watching the bank and hoping for a miracle, all the while drawing her sword and cutting down walking dangers.

Then the smoke clears. The carnage is laid out for all to see. Ten sisters left, six gone. Bodies of men scattered everywhere.  
And when another blast comes from above, Varia knows that the Amazons must return to the fight... and possibly their deaths.

"Amazons! Do not fear this moment... our time is now! Now!" Varia yells over and over, until it makes even the most shell-shocked of her tribe pick up the weapons and charge the hill, tear down the road and to whatever awaits.

Artemis comes in waves, sending warriors flying back. And Xena lets them all fall, her sword swinging down and taking out her fair share. In the distance, in the haze, she hears the Amazons again.  
Fighting... defending...

_They never quit, eh Artemis?_ And Xena finds some of the old rush come forth, a little innocent battle happiness. Her movements, coupled with immortal power, are so fluid and so quick.  
Another body falls at Xena's feet and she is about to slam her shoulder into an approaching soldier when --

**There. Be strong. Do not falter.**

And there she is. Stalking down through the smoke, the firelight catching on her blonde hair like a deadly halo. Xena watches in muted horror has every stroke of Gabrielle's blade takes out an Amazon.

**Take him down. Now.** _What will it do to her?_ **Now, Xena. Before he gets too close and destroys them all!**

Xena shoves Artemis aside and runs to Gabrielle, just in time for the bard to spin around and face her. A cold smile graces those missed lips.  
And the tip of Gabrielle's sword pushes against Xena's neck.

"So nice to see you again, Xena." The voice purrs and that is what tortures Xena the most. _It is her voice, her face, her body, her everything... and it is being corrupted by..._

"I have something long overdue to give you, Xena. And, though it pains me to say it, I now have something to give Artemis as well. Your eternal peace at the end of this sword."

_You, all I have lived for and all I have longed for... here again, near me... I know you, I have known you forever and ever. No one can take you away.  
I won't let that happen, Xena._

_You, all I have dreamed of and all I have needed... here again, near me... I love you, I have loved you forever and ever. No one can take you away. I won't let that happen, Gabrielle._

Zeus cannot hold on much longer, the sword arm dropping down and the bard's body staggering backward.  
Artemis tries to regain some control of the warrior's movements, but finds it to be difficult. Xena falls to her knees and reaches out a hand.

_Almost there, Gabrielle... Just reach out to me... Please..._

And slender fingers find Xena's, a light touch, fingertips grazing ever so softly.

"Xena..."  
"Gabrielle..."

Varia stops and hopes, for the first time in her life, that things could be easy, be right and be good. She sees the two of them, barely close enough to hear a thing over these flames and the clash of metal...

And then the bodies blow apart, like a wind just came through and the figures were leaves. A crack and a spark, the air shooting off colors.  
Gabrielle is standing and laughing soon enough, lazily twirling the chakram. And Xena is crouching down, clutching at her chest.

Varia doesn't have to truly see Xena's face as the blonde bard in warrior's armor strides away. Varia knows what is on that face.

**She is not strong enough. He has her, for good.**

Xena ignores Artemis. For Artemis knows nothing, not really... Not about love or destiny or a soul. _You know nothing._

"I felt her and she came to me. She is still there. I can save her... I can find a way and save her." Xena whispers, to Artemis and to herself.

_I can find a way... can't I?_

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Part Twelve

After it is all said and done, Varia leans against a charred tree. She mourns its loss of bark and the intrusion to its wooden body. She sends a prayer... then halts the words in her mind.  
_No point in that. Artemis is here, in a mortal body._

The Amazon warrior looks for Xena, but does not find the woman.  
The sisters that are left sink down to the ground, despite ash and bodies, wishing for just a moment of peace.  
Being an Amazon doesn't afford many times of rest. Or calm.  
Varia used to love that - the constant pull of the fight, the anger, the need to prove yourself by the edge of a blade.  
_What I wouldn't give to just sleep... How time has changed me..._

"What do we do now?" A young girl, couldn't be over eighteen summers, asks.  
And Varia wishes there was an answer.

_I need to do what is right for us now... I do not know where Xena is, which means I do not have Artemis to even ask assistance of... And we have no queen, not now..._

"We move on and find shelter for the night. We take the bodies of our sisters and set them free with fire."

"What of the price on our heads? Do we keep fighting when there are so few of us?"One girl asks, her voice tinged with fear.

"And the fire will gain us nothing but attention!"Another warrior shouts.

"What would you have us do, Amazons?" Varia questions. All are silent.

"Do we run and hide? Do we let our fellow warriors lay here to rot? Do we throw away all that we are just because we are hunted?"Varia feels tears pierce the face of the control she is struggling to have.

They all see it. Some are moved and continue on, others stay around...but their eyes suggest otherwise.

Their eyes speak of wanting to run away.

_Artemis, if you are not too busy, please...help me know what to do..._

_Let me go._

**Did you not see yourself out there? All the strength that grief took from you… It returned! And it is glorious. Do you not see how powerful you are?**

_I cannot kill her._

**She is still dead. She is only here for this battle. Even if she won, her body would still crumble and her soul would go back to the unknown. She is gone.**

_Let me go!_

**It was I who raised you up again, it was I who brought her to you… for you to see once more! Without me, you were wallowing. Without me, you were a shell of a mortal.**

_I can fight you. I can make you let me go!_

**Do not make idle threats, child. If I were to let you go now, the chances of you surviving are slim.**

…_I don't believe you. I lived before you. I can live again, even if I don't have your power… even if I have to lose her again…_

**Do you really think so, little one?**

Gabrielle is silent and Zeus stares out into the burning night.

"You really are naïve, Gabrielle. Mortals always get so caught up in emotion, that is how they stay on the ground and the gods reach the sky. "

_Then I will reach further than you._

Zeus laughs out loud.

"Don't force me to abandon you too soon, Gabrielle. I kind of like you. You are full of willpower."

And two pairs of eyes look out as another explosion destroys the forest, taking down anything in its way.

One in rapture…and the other in sorrow.

**Xena! I am begging you… please get up! They are running now, in fear… their hope is hanging by a thread! You are here for a reason – fulfill it!**

But Artemis knows her pleas are falling on deaf ears. The warrior princess is tuning her out, which under other circumstances would be fascinating. On this night, though, it is maddening.

Xena turns it over and over in her mind, trying to find the loophole or the secret. She thinks on ancient texts, on spells, on prayer…

_How do I get her back? What do I do?_

Deep down, the answer is too little and too late.

_If I had not left her, this would not have happened._

Guilt washes over Xena and it is painfully familiar.

_Oh, Gabrielle… Will my actions always harm you? Even when I am trying to do right, I seem to hurt you._

Xena sighs and stands up. This simple action dislodges some of the silence and Artemis comes barreling through.

**Are you going to help them?**

_Only if you help me get Gabrielle back._

**You are in no position to make demands of me!**

"And what right do you have to bring me back? To bring me here to fight your battles? To watch someone I love…" Xena shuts her eyes and clutches her hair, screaming loudly into the night.

**She chose Zeus out of grief, out of pain. I cannot change that. I cannot alter the past, Xena of Amphipolis.**

"Will she die if Zeus leaves her body?"

**It is very probable.**

Xena feels the swirling cold in her gut and Artemis cannot push it away. It slides into every pore of Xena's skin, into every inch and every hair.

And for a brief second, Artemis feels the dread of the mortal. It is overwhelming and agonizing.

It is a total lack of control. It is the finality of knowing nothing can be done and no one is safe.

**I am truly sorry, Xena. If I could…**

Xena reigns in her emotions, that old mask of steel coming down.

_I know what I have to do. Let's go._

"You never come around here, especially at this hour."

"Well, things are happening…"

"Wow, things, eh? Cut the cryptic stuff, bro…"

"Zeus is back."

Aphrodite admits that there are times when she misses her family. Everyone thinks of immortals as feeling nothing because they live forever and never grow old.

She could illuminate the world on a few things.

Loss is loss. In fact, Aphrodite would bet that living on while those you care for die is the short straw immortals draw.

She turns her attention back to Ares, who is still talking.

"…and she lifted me up, which is not **too** out of the ordinary. But this was different. Xena has finally taken up with a god, well… goddess--"

"Wait… Xena?"

"Pay attention."

"I am. Are you sure it was her?"

Ares lets his eyebrow rise sharply.

"I know Xena when I see her."

Aphrodite keeps an eye out for all her brethren, the saints and sinners of love. Even if they do not worship her as much these days, she still watches over them.

Even when they travel far away, even when they think no one can see them… Aphrodite keeps an eye out for those who love.

That is how she knew, once Gabrielle came back to Greece, that Xena was… dead.

_So, this new development is a shocker… And Ares doesn't seem to know…_

"Did you know Xena went to Japa?" Aphrodite says quietly.

"I…didn't keep up with her." Ares admits, letting his eyes dart downward.

_He'll never learn… Better to just let this stay unknown, I think. For now._

"How can Zeus return?"

"Turns out the soul of our dear father can pick a body and have fun with it."

"He is in Xena?"

"No. He is in Gabrielle."

_Well, that is shocker number two… Poor Gabby. I guess I didn't keep up with her either._

"Xena is…merging with Artemis and Zeus is killing Amazons, trying to take over the world. Kind of standard stuff for good ol' Pops, don't you think?"

Aphrodite understands her brother's humor better than most. It is not a cold humor, but it is not a soft kind of humor. It can sting… if you let it.

"I assume you two have talked?"

"Yes. Same old song and dance about joining forces and choosing sides."

"And did you choose?"

"I am planning to stay neutral."

"Even with Xena running around?" Aphrodite grins, though inside she wonders if this is truly Xena or not. _I mean, the souls of gods and goddesses taking over bodies is one thing… but a dead warrior princess returning after all this time… Seriously, what next?_

"We'll just see how things go."

"Hmm."

They are both silent for a while.

"Gabrielle is striking as a warrior. Bet Xena is livid." Ares muses aloud with a smile.

Aphrodite rolls her eyes.

_Yep… some things change, but some things remain the same…_

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Part Thirteen

**You close your thoughts from me now.**

"What good does it do to voice them, Artemis... You asked me if the greater good would be my choice in this time, this damned limbo between living and being dead... I have made my decision."

**Let me help you.**

Xena lets a bitter laugh pass her lips. _Help... such a simple word and you give it no real thought. My help takes life away from one I love._

**It is what my Chosen would want.**

And there it is, the years of another life rushing back to Xena's mind. Of so many times when the good of the all came before the joy of one or two humans. How many times did Gabrielle preach of the sanctity of doing what is right... even if it means turning the other cheek, letting down your guard... _Losing your life..._

Xena feels a bitterness swallow up her body, covering her in a haze of darkness. She is reminded of how the anger at her brothers death was similar.  
_A darkness that is so cold that your soul becomes frozen._

**Your soul will find peace, Xena. I promised that to you and you shall have it. You shall meet the Chosen one there again.**

"I've long since given up on believing what immortals promise."

And so Xena runs, over the battered landscape and pausing only to hear Artemis guiding voice, directions to the Amazons in hiding.  
_To the end of this twisted fate._

"I see the faithful are returning quite happily."

Ares glances at his sister and then back to their lofty view of Greece. All morning and all night, the people who held fast to the many gods and rejected the one god raise their temples.  
Fighting breaking out and blood shed... It was almost enough to make Ares envious.

"They didn't get that worked up over me." He huffed lightly. Aphrodite patted his shoulder.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I get a poem every now and then, that's it. You'd think love would be a little more important!"

Ares loves his sister. She is a balance to the war that he creates. And while there have been times when he wished for nothing more than an end to love... Ares admits that without it, well, passion just wouldn't be the same. Love can make people fight. It's a give and take.

"What's Xena up to?"  
"Think I am keeping tabs, do you?"

Aphrodite grins at this.

"I know you are."  
"Seems as though she is running around the countryside."  
"And Zeus?"  
"I sense our father smiling."

Aphrodite lets her shoulders sag a little at that. It sucks that her favorite among the humans seems to always come into conflict with her family. And never for the good.

"Is there a way to get to Gabrielle? To release her?"

Ares raises an eyebrow and snorts. Aphrodite rolls her eyes.

"Look, what do you want me to say? That it isn't a little fun to watch little miss peace-lover run around killing people?"  
"I don't want her hurt, Ares."  
"Too late for that, I think."  
"Meaning that she'll die, is that it? That when Zeus is done with her, that's it?"  
"Probably."

Aphrodite knows her brother, probably better than either one of them would like to admit. She knows that, when push comes to shove, he'll jump into the fray if it means one more chance to get Xena. And the goddess of love knows that she will do the same for Gabrielle.

"I think it's high time we take up a scroll or two, bro. See if we can find a way out of this mess."

And Ares lets himself be dragged away, reluctant to voice the same wishes as Aphrodite.

Zeus stops listening to her inane chatter. Mortals never see greatness, just their own blind thoughts. So, he shuts her out.  
And watches the world burn for him.

Gabrielle wants to scream. But hours of doing so in the blackness of her own mind becomes tiring. _And futile... He is not hearing me._  
She feels trapped and alone. _Not much better when I was out there, grief-stricken and numb._

She wants to analyze her motives, to find the spark inside that will break this hold Zeus has over her... but every time her thoughts try to move forward, a wall comes up.  
The wall taunts her with truths and lies, turns her inside-out and leaves her there - still broken, still helpless and full of shame.

_Xena is gone. I've let them all down. I am weak._

"I am truly alone now." She whispers to the silence.

_**"What's this? Still talking to yourself?"**_ A voice questions and it makes Gabrielle jump. She looks around. Nothing. There is nothing there.

_**"You do not answer me. How pathetic."**_ The voice is cold and sharp.

_It reminds me of... Oh god, of Hope. Do not tell me this torture will come as well?_  
A full-on peel of laughter greets Gabrielle then and she can hear footsteps come toward her.  
_Kinda wish I had my sais in here..._

_**"And what would you do with them, hmm? Finish yourself off?"**_ The voice says, a body coming into view and revealing...

"Who...are you?" Gabrielle gasps out, her throat suddenly dry as sand.

_**"You. Not your daughter, not a player in Zeus and his game. Just...you."**_

Gabrielle wants to deny it. _I am me... right? I mean, how far can madness go when you are already taken hostage by a dead god?_

_**"Hostage? Let's not tell lies. You let him take you. You gave up."**_  
"I...didn't know..."  
_**"Yes, yes, yes. I know all you would say to me, to sway me from the truth. It won't work."**_

And like that, the clothing this double wears - all matching Gabrielle's current outfit - slowly shifts, 

turning into a long forgotten peasant skirt and blue blouse. The double spins around and grins.

_**"Those Amazons trust you and here you are, just sitting by! A hero is supposed to fight!"**_  
Gabrielle feels her anger rise and, yet, sees it mirrored to her.  
"All my fight has gone! I lost it in Japa!"  
_**"How long are you going to let that control you? Don't you know it is just a disease in you, eating you up?"**_

And the clothing changes again, to one of a sari, bright orange. Bare feet and a jewel upon the double's forehead. Third eye shining bright...

"Don't start with me! Just... don't. How do I find peace when I feel like a part of me is hollowed out? How do I just go on without her?" Gabrielle shouts.

_**"You've come back from such pain before."**_ The double stares at her, tattered white robe and bloodied face, a sad reminder of times long ago...  
"I had her to return to after all that. She was there." Gabrielle sobs, the ever-familiar tears returning to her eyes.

_**"And so quickly, you think all is lost. That death will keep you apart, after all the time you were granted with her... You must fight! Do you hear me?"**_  
There, standing opposite, Gabrielle sees herself from many years past - in Xena's armor and sword in hand. _Ready to fight, to do what must be done, to carry on a legacy of a friend..._

"I do not know that person anymore." Gabrielle says before dropping to her knees. And arms cradle her, rock her to and fro. If it was not such a soul-shattering moment, Gabrielle would find it hysterical. _I am consoling myself. How bizarre._

_**"The time for grief is over. If you want to save others and yourself, you must find the way out. You must break free."**_

Gabrielle reaches out and comes back with air. But she stands up and looks around, seeing the shadows. And she hears the distant thunder of whatever Zeus is doing in the living world.  
She feels a hand at her back and knows that it is herself, from farm girl to bard to warrior...

"Time to break free."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Part Fourteen

Varia looks into Xena's eyes and finds them blank. Otherworldly and dark, staring past the fire in this cave and into some place no one else can see.

The amazons are silent. Even Varia feels as though she has lost the ability to use her tongue.

A sudden tingling along Varia's spine makes her whip her head around, searching for whatever causes this disturbance. No one else seems to notice her movements. Not even Xena, silent and like a stone.

**She has a hard task ahead, Varia.**

She knows this is Artemis speaking to her, caressing her body with an unearthly voice. Varia takes a deep breath and lets her eyes close for the first time in days.

_Zeus has our Queen… how can we win?_

**There is always hope, Varia. Never let your brave heart waver.**

_I don't think I have much bravery left._

**It takes courage to stand and fight when you have nothing left. Do you know the story of the Six Wishes?**

_It is how you got your bow, yes?_

**Yes. I climbed into Zeus's lap, weeping as children are wont to do. And all I wanted was for my existence to be as I chose. So, he granted them to me. Kind and loving, he gave me all I wanted.**

Varia holds back her words, her thoughts of hatred for this being… for Zeus. If Artemis hears them, the goddess does not speak of it.

**All my wishes combined created the hunt, Varia. A trait passed on to my Amazons, the need to never stop the hunt, whether for food or for sport or for honor. The hunt, though hard, breeds courage. If you remove your eyes from that beast… you lose it all.**

Varia feels the air shift, turning cold against her skin. And Xena is looking at her, piercing blue eyes cutting through the night and flames.

"You'll be queen after all this is said and done." Xena's voice is hollow.

"I'd rather it come under different circumstances."

Xena looks to the ground for a second.

"As do I."

"What do we do now?" Varia asks.

"Zeus is building up a following. They are not all fighters, but they are fervent in their devotion. We need more help. The amazons are too few and I am just one woman."

"With a goddess in you."

Xena lets a tight smile form on her lips.

"Artemis and I aren't really friends right now."

Varia wonders if that is why the goddess decided to speak to her, to boost her failing morale.

"But you have her powers still?"

"Yes."

"And what of Gabrielle?"

The question hangs so heavily that Varia is surprised that she cannot reach out and touch it.

"As I said, you'll be queen soon enough." Xena's tone shifts to a place very dangerous. Varia knows it is foolish to tread further, but something makes her continue on.

_Perhaps my bravery is returning… albeit in a strange way…_

"What will happen to her?"

Xena remains quiet and motionless.

"I ask because I do care, Xena… She came back here due to a vision, a vision involving me as queen… I feel it is my duty to try and save her, not just as a fellow Amazon… but as—"

Xena gets up and moves so quickly, her large hand gripping Varia's jaw.

Varia eyes widen and she wants to fight, to get away. But it is the sound of Xena's voice that stills her body. It is the sound of Xena's voice that actually calms Varia. It is the sorrow of someone who cannot change a thing and has to watch the world take all things of value… It is pain.

"She cannot be saved. There is no way to save her. So, keep your noble intentions to yourself and do what you have to do… And leave Zeus to me."

None of the words hold venom, just agony. Xena lets Varia go and goes outside of the cave, into the night. The other amazons look shaken, but Varia assures them that all is well.

**You will make a good Queen, my Amazon.**

Varia sags to the ground and wraps an arm about her knees.

_All this time I've wished for a chance to lead my sisters… and now, I'd give anything to not have it happen. So much is lost now. Who will help us? _

**The hunt is on, Varia. Friends will ally with you and you will not be alone. They feel the call to arms, to battle.**

_So there is still a chance of victory?_

**Of course. Zeus might have it easy with mortals, but not with spirits like himself. I am here to stop him.**

Stopping the former king of the gods, using the body of a dead warrior… Varia wishes for simpler times and wonders if her tears could bring about these wishes granted.

Aphrodite does not like to read.

She is more of a physical girl.

And Ares, while a master of deciphering a map, never had much cause to pick up a scroll.

Unless it could somehow help him in the grand scheme of things.

So, to say it is slow going in the halls of eternal knowledge, is an understatement.

"Any luck?"

"No, sis. Just like the last time you asked… five minutes ago."

"Hey, no need to get touchy. I'm just impatient.

Ares goes through the tenth scroll concerning the hymns of Apollo and then stands up.

"Look, I don't think there is a damn thing in all this. Just old exploits and some dirty skeletons."

"At least you got some juicy stuff. All I've found is these scrolls on how much Selene secretly hated the oxen who pulled her chariot. Man, could she go on and on!"

Ares leans into Aphrodite's face.

"What did you expect to find?"

"I don't know… Some secret way of stopping our father and saving Gabrielle."

"Don't ask for much, do you?"

Aphrodite smacks his shoulder as he smirks at her. This is the most time they've spent with each other in years and the goddess of love finds that she likes it.

_Olympus is so quiet now. It is nice to have someone to talk to and listen to once in a while who isn't just some down-trodden soul looking for love._

Ares looks at the piles of scrolls that they have yet to touch and sighs.

It's not that he likes Gabrielle… but his father takes center stage when it comes to Ares and dislike.

_And, besides, helping Gabrielle is always the way to help Xena._

Ares can't seem to shake the affection for that woman, so he doesn't try to. Not that he gets all mushy about it – that's for Aphrodite's followers.

_It's kind of funny that I have a thing for Xena and Aphrodite has a…something… for Gabrielle._

"Why do you like that bard so much?" Ares asks, twirling a scroll between his fingers.

"She's sweet."

"That's it?"

"Well, I mean, lots of reasons."

Ares gets a big grin on his face and crosses his arms.

"I think you've got a crush."

"Ares…"

"Hey, it's okay. I don't judge."

"There is nothing to judge!"

Aphrodite grabs the scroll and glares at her brother. And Ares just laughs out loud, shaking his head. She opens the scroll and is barely registering the words, still a little miffed at her brother's ribbing. _Me, a crush on sweet Gabrielle… as if… I mean, really…_

Then she pauses and looks at the scroll more closely.

"I think I've found something."

"Right. Any excuse not to speak of your lust for Gabrielle, I get it…"

"I'm serious. Look at this."

The god of war and the goddess of love settle down, side by side, for the long tale of a ritual performed many, many moons ago. A ritual performed by a fearful god, binding his soul to a piece of the earth… just in case the Twilight truly occurred. This god told no one, save for this scroll.

This piece of earth, a stone the size of an arm and the color of the sea, would remain hidden unless needed. And if the day came where this god needed the soul returned, he would seek a body to use, to mold. This person would then become the vessel for the god and bring about a new reign of…

"Zeus." Aphrodite and Ares say at the same time.

Aphrodite hurriedly goes through the rest of the story, hoping there might be something to save the day. Ares, on the other hand, is very quiet.

_Father knew all along and let all of our family die. What a bastard._

"I got it!" Aphrodite shouts.

"What?"

"I think, if I've read this correctly, that if you can find the stone and destroy it, you permanently destroy the soul itself."

"It says all that in there?"

"It implies it."

"And you want to go up against Zeus, find this stone and hope that it works out the way you want?"

Aphrodite grins at him.

"Yep, pretty much. Are you in?"

Ares doesn't like battles you can't see the end of, battles that you can't find the winning in. But, then again, it is a challenge. Sometimes, in the life of an immortal, it is the challenges that make being around forever an appealing thought.

"Well, I guess I can't stand by and let the lady you love get killed." Ares says with a sigh.

"I'll let that one slide, because I am so happy you are agreeing to help."

And Aphrodite pulls him into a hug, one that he surprisingly returns. They stay that way for a moment longer, both of them realizing that all the family they need is right here.

It is hard, at first, to even make a dent in his hold.

Zeus is strong… and getting stronger. Gabrielle can feel his grasp on her like a tidal wave. It keeps pushing her down and tries to drown her with power, with darkness.

_But I won't give up. Not this time. I've been here too long… been in this state of grief and despair, in this self-pitying fog… No more._

Then, Gabrielle finds a foothold and starts the long climb upward. He is not pleased, but then… why should he be? _All his plans are dependent on my compliance and I refuse to help him anymore._

Somewhere inside, all the facets of herself cheer and it makes Gabrielle's heart sing. For the first time in a long while, she feels hope and courage and a reason to strive.

No longer is it bound to a life lost, this joy… but to the simple fact of being.

_I wonder if that is what Eli feels, if that is what I was trying to learn in India, if that is what all this is about… in some strange way…_

**I will stop you. Even if it means dragging you to your death.**

And Gabrielle's laugh ripples outward, greeting Zeus like a slap to the face.

_Death is what I've been doing, slowly and surely since Japa. I do not fear your version of death._

**And so your wish to see Xena again is also to be lost? For I am the one who brings her to you.**

_Xena comes to kill you and I intend to help her, even if I cannot get free of you. My life for the lives of others. It's a good trade._

**Always the self sacrifice, Gabrielle. Do you think Xena will let you go so easily?**

That knocks Gabrielle back a bit and her grip lessens. It brings up so many questions, ones only Xena can answer. _And they are answers I fear knowing._

Xena, always finding a way to redeem herself and still be standing at the end of it all… and yet, Xena did let go. Gabrielle hates that she wants to know why, even though it is obvious.

_No less painful, though. _

**I think Xena will falter and not be able to bring the blade down upon you. And then, as I have said, the world will be mine.**

Gabrielle ignores him and keeps moving, pushing at the barrier of self, of bones, of thoughts. She catches very brief glimpses of light, of trees, of the moon.

She wonders if Xena will come. She wonders if Xena will do what is right.

Sweat breaks out upon her brow and she welcomes the sensation.

It is life along her skin. It is being alive.

_Oh Xena, if you can hear me, know that I understand what must come to pass. I only wish we had more time… for talking, for putting old wounds to rest… for everything… Know that I am trying, that I am sorry for putting you in this place… Know that I love you, always…_

Xena would give anything to live in her dreams.

In them, all the things that have gone wrong are suddenly made right. Disappointments are rectified, lives are saved… Xena fixes that which was broken.

When she was alive, truly alive, Xena did not give much thought to dreaming.

There were nightmares.

Visions of death and blood and hatred, all of them slipping over her body like a chill. She did not like to sleep, because all she saw was the horror of her own existence.

In this limbo, though, her dreams are sweet.

They pull her into a world of forgiveness and love, into the embrace of her mother and brother, into the understanding gazes of many friends…

And Gabrielle is there, promising that everything will be okay again.

Beautiful green eyes, colored with affection, beckon Xena closer and in those familiar arms… Xena is held, is cared for.

In these dreams, Xena finds home.

But Xena is awake now. She is walking from village to village, mindlessly doing what she must and gathering a rag-tag band of people.

Centaurs and men, women and warriors, farmers and fieldhands… They do not support the old gods and not all of them know how to fight, but they are determined.

Not all of them trust the Amazons, but they align themselves together.

They do not trust Xena, but they know they cannot win without her.

A young boy comes up and tugs at Xena's leather skirt. She looks down into hazel eyes and feels a pang of sorrow, quickly shoved away.

"I've read of you. My brother says you are a legend, that you defeated gods before."

"I'm not a legend."

"You sure? 'Coz this story sure makes you sound like one…"

"What story is this?"

Xena watches him run off and then come running back, clutching in his hand a tattered scroll. _As if I need to ask, as if I do not know whose hand wrote this story…_

He rattles off the tale of the twilight of the gods.

Everything so vivid and so real, like it was yesterday, and Xena has to fight to stay standing.

It catches her off guard, hearing Gabrielle's words from the lips of this boy.

He finishes and looks up at her, all wide-eyed. All innocent.

"A nice story, but that's not me." Xena says quietly before turning away and continuing on.

Something clutches at her gut, turning her inside out. It makes her look back at the boy and, for a moment, Xena sees Gabrielle.

Just standing there, as plain as day.

_Is this an illusion? Zeus deciding to play a little game before I kill him?_

And Gabrielle speaks, though no sound passes through her lips. Xena strains to hear something, anything…

The warrior fights the urge to run to this apparition, for she knows it is not truly Gabrielle.

_How could it be her? She is trapped, she is one with Zeus now!_

Xena shuts her eyes tightly and turns back around, trying not to run away to the shelter of the surrounding forest… and then, she hears it.

Gabrielle's voice, the softest whisper, floating in the breeze.

Xena spins around, but Gabrielle is gone. The boy is back with his brother. The people who have decided to fight are crowding around her and the Amazons are shouldering their weapons.

Artemis tugs at Xena's mind, begging for entrance.

But all Xena can focus on is the word hanging in the air, just out of reach.

_She said always._

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Part Fifteen

The Greek sun is oppressive as they enter the third destroyed town.  
Varia feels it beat down upon her skin, sweat on sweat, dirt becoming a second layer of flesh. The other Amazons search the edges of this place for any sign of the living.  
And they find none.

_Just like the others._ Varia feels her body unconsciously sag with the weight of so much death. _To think there was a time I loved the sight of blood being spilled..._

**A wise leader knows the difference between bloodshed for life and bloodshed for joy.**

Varia welcomes Artemis into her own thoughts, glad for the support and the calmness of her words.

_Still no luck with Xena then?_  
**I never knew a mortal could be this strong. Or this stubborn.**  
_Not been paying much attention to Xena when she was alive, eh?_

Artemis chuckles and it is a rich sound, so in contrast to the burning of homes and smoke and the scent of death all around them. Varia clings to the warmth of Artemis now. It is a reminder of all that the Amazons stand for, fight for... And Varia finds that she craves solace today, as her eyes find the first of deeply-dug pits, filled with those who refuse Zeus and his new order.

Death affects all differently.  
Varia finds it twisting her stomach, turning her inside-out. Other Amazons set to praying, asking Artemis to bless the souls and give them safe passage.

_Can you even do that now? Can you guide anyone's soul now?_ Varia questions in her mind, but receives no answer. The comfort, easily there just moments before, is removed.

Some of the farmers look away, in anger and grief. Others, like the centaurs, seem distant... as if seeing another time or place, another day of innocents dying.  
And then... there is Xena.

Varia watches the woman move about efficiently. Each hut and house is searched, for the living or for a killer, Varia does not know.  
Xena is not talking much now, preferring to stay silent during the day and wander off at night. It breeds a sense of foreboding among many of them, a sense that things will not end well.  
And yet, when Varia looks closer, there is a new edge to Xena's face.  
It is not hope. It is not assuredness.  
But it is something in-between those feelings. It adds a manic and determined gleam to those blue eyes.

This reverie is broken by the sound of a distant explosion. Heads and eyes dart toward that sickening sound.

"Is that...?" A man questions, gripping his sword with a shaking hand.  
"Athens is a day from here. We might be too late to save the city." A centaur speaks up.  
"We should keep moving then. Right?" One Amazon looks to Varia. The others crowd in closer, waiting for a command. Varia looks for Xena.

**She is on the move. I am trying to stop her. Hurry!** Artemis shouts into Varia's mind, rattling the woman's composure with the force of the yell.

Varia looks around at these faces, the fear and the fire she finds in each one's eyes. It is something to be awed by, something to remember... if the day brings about nothing but demise.

"We move quickly now. Amazons, take to the trees and scout ahead, make sure our path is clear." Varia says loudly, taking the time to grip each arm in solidarity.

"Artemis, protect us if you can." She whispers before her feet begin to run and the sound of rushing wind is all she can hear.

**Xena! Please listen to me... Put aside your anger, your will... You choose to take on Zeus alone, without assistance from myself or the others? You condemn them all to death!**

All Artemis can hear is the churning of Xena's breathing, the false sound of blood pumping in those not-so-human veins. She studies the woman's face, a curious mixture of steel and anxiousness in those features.

**Their lives mean nothing to you? Is that how Gabrielle would want you to solve this situation, by blindly running into the fray and sacrificing the lives of others?**

Xena does not seem to hear her or to acknowledge Artemis at all.

**I can end this now, Xena of Amphipolis. I can take my powers away and watch your body sink into the ground.**

The threat brings the first glimmer of awareness to Xena's expression. And it is a faint grin.

_She spoke to me._  
**Who do you--**  
_Gabrielle. I heard her, four days ago. She is fighting back and she reached out to me._

Xena's voice is tinged with desperate joy, a fearful and timid quality that makes Artemis shake her spectral head in wonderment at the fragility of mortals.

**Xena, you know that that is... It is not possible for Gabrielle to survive, even if she somehow manages to best Zeus and weaken his control over her body. The toll of the fighting will cripple her in so many ways.**

_You can never understand, Artemis, no matter how hard you say you do. I cannot give up on Gabrielle. If all I get is one moment more with her, then that is what I strive for. You brought me back for the Amazons and I have helped them. They are not alone now. Varia will lead them... But I must go to where Zeus is, to where Gabrielle is._

Artemis is silent and Xena stops her steady pace. The goddess watches the woman, watches as the softest of smiles grace Xena's lips.

"Help me get your Chosen back." Xena says aloud.

And Artemis, wondering if the wisest choice is being truly made, wraps herself about Xena's body. She slips into the woman's skin, fills up every corner and every nerve. She can hear Xena sigh and roll her shoulders.

"And if I can take out a few of Zeus's followers along the way, to help your Amazons, then so be it." Xena says offhandedly, making Artemis wonder - not for the first time - at the nature of Xena of Amphipolis.

**You are unlike any mortal I have never known.**  
Xena chuckles at this.  
_I know._

**Why do you do this? Can't you see that I am winning?**

Gabrielle tries to shut him out, but with a glimpse of the real world... come the visions of all the death in the wake of Zeus. _It is pure destruction._

**Yes. If only you'd see things my way, how stunning your body is on the battlefield, how far we can go with this power...**  
_You are mad._

Zeus laughs as another ripple of aftershock goes through the ground. How inventive the people of Chin are, to create something so like greek fire, but in a form easy to carry.  
Truly, some mortals were worth keeping around.

**I am not mad, child. I just have a goal in mind. Whether you see its greatness or not is of no consequence to me.**  
_It will be once I am free of you._

And Gabrielle pushes again, despite tiredness. She finds the crevices and cracks in Zeus and his hold over her. The grief is washed away, replaced by solidness to Gabrielle's soul.  
_I lost that after Japa. After Xena._

Zeus taunts and teases, tries to pick apart Gabrielle's resolve. But she does not stop, not this time.  
Each view of the living world makes her stronger.  
Gabrielle does not feel alone now. There is a hand at her back, sure and calm. It is guiding her forward.  
And somewhere, banked deep in her gut, Gabrielle feels Xena.  
Not just the memory, not just the lessons learned so long ago... But Xena, undiluted and raw, a force to be reckoned with.

_Even now, Zeus, you cannot stop her. You cannot stop me._  
**You'd be willing to risk everyone on that sentiment, Gabrielle?**

"Yes. To settle for less is to lose." Gabrielle says, her voice loud in the darkness.  
And, even though it is brief, she feels the sun on her long-neglected skin, coating her in it's glow.  
It is warm. It is real.  
Zeus reins her in, jerking her back with venom. But Gabrielle just laughs.

_Even if this day brings about my end, I will not give you the satisfaction of my sorrow. I will go down fighting._

Zeus growls into the blackness.

**You have chosen your fate. And I intend to make it a painful one.**

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

Part Sixteen

In a rush of godly energy, Aphrodite and Ares find themselves at the temple, resting in silence at the foot of Mount Olympus.  
"Seems rather quiet here, don't you think?" Ares questions aloud. Aphrodite looks around at the disrepair, the untouched feeling that hangs all over the stones and the altar.  
"Do you think we are too late?" She asks warily, her eyes darting to and fro. Ares lowers his head, just the slightest move, and then shakes his head 'no'.  
"Father is moving toward Athens, ready to strike the final blow."  
"You can read minds now, bro?"  
"No. I just understand how a war-like thought process goes. These smaller villages were just a way to cause fear. Once he takes Athens..."

Ares lets the sentence trail off there. Aphrodite doesn't need her brother to fill in the blanks. _Greece will belong to Zeus, unless some one-god power dives down and helps... And I doubt that will happen._

"I wonder why Eli's one god hasn't shown up?" Ares murmurs and Aphrodite shoots him a disbelieving look.  
"Sure you can't read minds?"  
Ares smiles at her placidly, which is a truly scary look upon the god of war's face.

They both walk further into the temple, Ares saying how Zeus wouldn't just leave his 'soul' laying around this abandoned place and Aphrodite ignoring him, doubt gnawing at her gut.

But the sudden thrust of about fifty spears, golden-tipped and gleaming, into their respective faces as they neared the throne room... well, that knocked Aphrodite's doubts out the proverbial window.

"What was that about this place being empty, bro?"

Ares shoots his fist out, sending out a purplish current, which seems to knock these attackers back... it just doesn't keep them back.

"Sis, I don't think this is good."

_It might as well be daytime._

That is what Varia thinks as they stumble at the edge of Athens, out of breath and ragged. A few minor skirmishes along the way, dealt with and only a few wounds to show for it... Only to find themselves here, watching the greatest city in Greece slowly burn to the ground.

_There is enough fires blazing here, the sky is no longer dark... Artemis, are you here?_

Varia receives no answer. _Great._  
Just as that thought ends, a shout goes up from behind, a warning of arrows coming down.

"Amazons! Take them out, to the trees!" Varia yells, ducking for cover. She watches as several of their group get cut down. The ones who make it to the shelter of the darkness scramble to find out where the archers are.

"What do we do?" A voice rasps. Varia watches, straining her eyes to see if any of the enemy is being removed.  
_Just a small opening, that is all we need..._

An explosion to the right seems to rock the earthly surface, knocking those on the ground down. Varia gazes into the dust and darkness, and for a brief moment, she almost thinks she sees...

_Xena._

There is yelling then, coming from the city. The sound of death, reaching out into the night. Varia shouts to the trees, asking what the Amazons see.

"The archers are down!" A voice carries down and Varia wastes no time in yelling out, a deep cry.

"Go! Now!" She screams, shoving men and women and Amazons and centaurs forward.  
Varia readies her blade, running as though her legs were not made of lead and her lungs painfully tight. The smoke is heavy, more so than any other place they have encountered.

_Except for the last time we saw Gabrielle. And Zeus._

There are bodies everywhere. And the smell of flesh, charred and burning. Homes destroyed. This once bustling place, rendered to ash.  
Varia engages one man, laying him out... only to find another killer to fight... and another and another.  
No one else seems to have it much easier.  
When one wave of Zeus's followers gets slaughtered, there is more coming into view.  
Varia's sword slides out of a man's chest, blood coating her hand.

And then a familiar battle-cry rings out, piercing the atmosphere. And arrows, too many to count, come raining down from the shadows. Varia watches, stunned and rooted to the spot on which she stands.  
It even seems to stall the followers of Zeus, their eyes looking around, frantic for a place to hide or run.

A crackle of not-so-distant thunder and the hazy blue illumination of the sky shows Xena standing atop a burning building, untouched by the flames.  
But Varia knows it is not rain that is coming, it is the storm of Zeus.

**He is here.**

But Xena knows. She can feel Zeus and his power, his overwhelming need to consume and control the world. It swarms in the air, thick and cold.  
She focuses harder, turning every bit of energy to going beyond that... beyond his grasp, beyond his hold...

_I can find her. Give me time._  
**I think you are foolish.**  
_That's fine by me._  
**Xena...**  
_Stop! Stop trying to change my mind and help me!_

Artemis relents, with one last look to the only humans she cherishes below. And then she concentrates, putting out feelers, stretching into the unknown.  
She can feel Xena with her, the warrior's nerves taut with longing and desperation.  
And Artemis can feel the worry of the animals, the weariness of the Amazons, the selfish hatred of Zeus - she can feel it all, soaking her spirit form.

Somewhere, in all that, in all that shouting and grasping and demanding, Artemis finds the tiniest glimmer.  
Like a flash of light in a long dark tunnel.  
It is there and then it is gone.  
But it is there nonetheless, much to Artemis surprise. She feels Xena's face break out into a wild smile, a relieved gasp of laughter leaving those warrior lips.

"Gabrielle is there. I could feel her, sense her."  
**Yes.**  
"I'm going to get her."

And, for once, Artemis does not fight her.

**Let's go then, Xena of Amphipolis. Let's see this to whatever end may come. And may Gabrielle, my chosen, be waiting at the end of this fight...**

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Part Seventeen

**Are you watching? Do you see how the world is changing, turning and falling into my hands?**  
Silence greets him.  
**You cannot stop it, girl. It is too late.**  
It is quiet. Much too quiet.  
**Then rot in there, dear child. Stay hidden and watch me rule the world; watch me kill all who stand in my way... Watch and learn, Gabrielle.**

Zeus sends out another round of warriors. He can feel the tide shifting and presenting him with victory. It is so close, so tantalizingly near.

**If only the others were here, to see this grand display. They had no vision, no foresight. They got too close to mortals, too close to thinking... somehow... that they could just be better versions of humans. My children... my foolish children...**

Another explosion rocks the ground. This youthful body in his possession holds fast, steady feet on the moving surface of the world. He moves Gabrielle's legs, like a puppet, bending down and launching upward.  
It is glorious. It is joyous.

**This is the last night of your life, Gabrielle. Come out and enjoy what you can.**

And Zeus laughs, the sound coming from Gabrielle's lips... It echoes into the burning night.  
He laughs more as lightening courses from his palms, shooting out and cracking trees, opening the hard-packed dirt, creating a crevice running into Athens.

It is then, in the height of power, that Zeus feels her and hears her.  
It reminds him of the sound of Poseidon's roar and tidal wave. So loud and so strong.  
It is then that Zeus feels this body plummet and crash, taking away not just the flight... but...

**But how? You are mine!**  
_This... is one... mortal... you cannot... best..._ Gabrielle's voice rasps out.

And for the first time ever, Zeus feels pain. Creeping and sharp, stinging and raw - Gabrielle's body is suffering wounds from her descent back to the earth.

**I won't let you go! You hear me? You are mine to control and to--Ahhhh!**  
Gabrielle laughs now, cold and calculating. Her fingers are coated in her own blood. She digs deeper into the shallow cut, the pain causing her own mind to reel.

**This will kill you! Severing ties with me will kill you... I'll take you down, girl!**  
_Such... an old... threat, Zeus... You know I do not care._

Zeus surges back, struggling to lift the body and make it move. The steps are halting and contorted. He gets so far and then she pulls back.

**I'll give you death, a very painful end.**  
And Zeus jerks the reins, leaving Gabrielle behind for breathless seconds. He runs this body closer to Athens and to battle, drawing the sword and preparing to end this girl's life... once and for all.

*

Gabrielle fights back, though she is weary. In her own mind she can hear the many voices of her many lives - peasant, queen, bard, and warrior - and they push her forward.  
_Forward to death... how bizarre that I set out for an end to my life and that was from grief, only to save myself... by dying..._  
So many questions dive around Gabrielle's brain and there seems to be no answers.  
_Will I go to the Amazon land of the dead? Will Zeus remain even if I am gone? And... will I see her again, before my last breath?_

She can see Athens. The city of her youthful imagination, just ashes and smoke.  
She can see Amazons and centaurs and men and women, alive and dead. She sees blood. She sees carnage.  
And she can see her own body, stumbling and careening, killing and bleeding.  
Zeus is giving it his all.  
Every form that is not on his side, he is slaughtering.  
Gabrielle concentrates and makes her body rear back, slamming into the crippled wall of a building.  
Her body is aching, weak in some places and too strong in other places... The battle between mortal and immortal, playing out in her skin and bones.

Suddenly, arrows cascade down from above, moving rapidly into the bodies of unknown men. Each sharp tip finding that vulnerable spot between armor.  
Gabrielle looks up and Zeus sees the cause.  
It makes them both freeze, but for vastly different reasons.

_Xena._  
**Xena.**

*

Varia can take no more.  
The power to stand, much less fight, is waning. The others, those still alive, marshal on. But in their eyes... there lurks the realization that this battle will mark the end for them.  
Xena took out many and continues to do so, but it is not enough. _Artemis, it is too late, I fear. My bravery is strong, but... the rest of me is shattered. What do I do?_

Varia doesn't feel like a leader now.  
There won't be a nation left to rule or care for, not after all this. All of Greece is changed. If, by some miracle, Zeus is defeated, who will remain?  
In all this time, Varia found the necessary will to carry on.  
Even when Gabrielle fell apart, even when Xena disappeared, even when Artemis floundered... Varia looked to the women in her tribe and found the strength to go on.  
_But now, they are almost all dead... or will be soon enough..._

Someone jerks her down, her head narrowing escaping a spear thrown in her direction. She looks toward her left and nods a thank you to a fellow Amazon.

"Are you alright? Are you injured?" The woman asks.  
"I'm fine."  
"You were just staring, not moving."

Varia blinks, as if waking from a dream and then pulls the woman with her, the both of them running and dodging falling debris. _Kill or be killed, Varia, you know this... get it together, for them..._

"Thank you."  
"You'd do the same for me."  
"To a strong Amazon nation, then..." And Varia reaches out, gripping the woman's arm. It is warm and alive. It is powerful. And the woman returns the hold.

"You're Anteris, right?" Varia questions, lifting her blade once more.  
"Yes."  
"Then to a glorious night, whether we are here to see it or not, Anteris."

They smile at each other. And then, they run back out into the fray.  
And Varia knows that if tonight is the end, then she passes on with friends in her midst.  
No gods or goddesses, no mystical heroes... But friends who have fought by her side, some for years and some for just these few weeks.

_I can do this, for them... for them..._

So, they fight. As if the streets were not already littered with the dead, as if they were not all tired and failing, as if they have every chance to win.

*

Xena felt it first.  
The hot and then the cold, running up her spine. And then... there, in the shadows and the fire, the reason for all this destruction... and the reason for all this love... All in a pair of green eyes, staring upward.

Artemis took note of the golden blade in those deceptive hands, hanging between air and ground, motionless. The goddess focused even more, sensing the struggle between Gabrielle and Zeus. It might be their only chance, the only moment in which to strike... to get Gabrielle back or...

Xena feels her heart beat faster, such a wonderfully human reaction. Artemis sways with it.  
**She is fighting him.**  
_Of course she is._  
Artemis can feel the warmth, the overwhelming devotion and knows that to restrain Xena is pointless. The warrior has her sights set. Nothing will stop her now.  
**I suspect she knows you are here. Try to reach her and I'll give you as much time as possible. But beware, Zeus is there and he will attack.**

Xena doesn't wait for more. Her eyes close, even though her body continues to move and pull the bowstring. And Xena reaches out with everything she is and with everything she has. She lets Artemis be the warrior.  
All Xena wants is to reach Gabrielle.  
_Anything, Gabrielle, just give it to me and I'll find you... I'll bring you back and you'll be safe... Nothing will stop me, Gabrielle... Nothing and no one..._

A tugging inside her gut is the first feeling, pulling her from the rooftop. But it is not her flesh and blood moving, it is her soul. It feels like the finest dream, liquid and pure. She spins and spins, catching the brief look of horror in that familiar emerald gaze.  
Then darkness. _Am I in her? Is this...?_  
It is, at first, oppressive. Xena starts to panic in this blackness. Up and down, left and right... they mean nothing in here. And hands, large and cold hands seem to push her, hold her, and smother her.  
_Zeus..._ Her minds hisses.  
The hands remove themselves and Xena feels not only relief, but she can feel a sense of herself again.  
Not her body, but something close to that... something like being alive... Just different.  
_Is this what it has been like for you, Gabrielle? With him holding you back? With this coldness?_

Xena senses movement. It sounds close, it sounds like a gale ripping through trees. The pressure comes back... only to be pulled away again. Artemis and her comment comes back to Xena, reminding her of the internal war going on.

"Gabrielle! I'm here!"  
The roar of sound gets louder and Xena covers her ears, dropping down and surprised to find some kind of surface to hold her up.  
Then light, dim and twinkling, like the stars... _we would watch and talk about, your hand in mine and the feeling of everything being right in the world..._  
And then, soft and radiant, the darkness is pushed aside. The light of a million stars burst forth and Xena sees her._ Gabrielle..._

*

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Part Eighteen

"What are they?" Aphrodite shouts over the sound of boots on stone and Ares blasts. The God of War looks to his sister, an angry glint in his eyes.  
"I think our father has been busy. No mortal could withstand my power."  
"Seriously... demi-gods? Like Hercules?"  
"But more so. Look at them. Just barely shaken in my attacks and ready for more. Too bad they are aligned with Zeus..."  
And Ares shoots out one more purple bolt, knocking them further back this time. The walls tremble and threaten to topple.  
"We need a better plan." Aphrodite hisses.  
"Oh yes, great Goddess of Love, please cast a spell..." Ares growls in frustration. _Will my sister never understand a thing about battle? I mean, love doesn't have to impede the brain..._  
"It couldn't be a regular ol' love spell, mind you. It would have to be a special one, something powerful... Since they **are **demi-gods, after all..." Aphrodite rambles on, oblivious to Ares shoving her back behind him.

_Here I am, fighting these guys all on my own while she talks to herself... This is why I stayed away from my family most of the time, they all chattered too much._  
Ares slams his fists to the floor, sending a shockwave toward the warriors, some of them flying into the wall... and staying there. A smile lights up the god of war's face.  
_Okay. That's more like it._

"What if we combined our respective abilities?" Aphrodite pipes up.  
"Wouldn't that just be a counterproductive move, sis?"  
"Wouldn't it be more powerful, though?"  
"How can love add to war? Hmm?"

"Silence, betrayers of Zeus!" Shouts one of the warriors as he throws his golden-tipped spear, the sharp point making contact with Ares shoulder and Aphrodite's arm. And they both look down in dismay, for the spear has drawn immortal blood.

"This just keeps getting worse." Ares mutters, ignoring the sensation of pain. Aphrodite goes pale for a moment and Ares wonders if she will faint. But the goddess of love regains her composure, her face taking on a decidedly furious appearance.  
Then she reaches over, grasping Ares hand in her own and then raises her other hand, a steady red bolt coming from her fingertips.  
_What in the name of Olympia is that?_ Ares wonders to himself.  
He watches as it pushes them back, as they stagger and attempt to stay rooted to the floor. Their eyes glaze and then clear, over and over.  
"Passion is a bitch, eh boys?" Aphrodite taunts. Ares raises an eyebrow in understanding.  
_The power of passion is easily turned to anger and anger is easily turned to war... Well, well, well... She certainly is more than an airhead..._

"Anytime you want to step in, bro." Aphrodite smiles over at him. And Ares is all too happy to comply, bringing their hands together, the purple and red mixing together.  
And those poor servants of Zeus didn't know what hit them.

*

Standing here, it is like going back in time.  
To that first day, catching a glimpse of her red-gold spun hair and fierce green eyes. It was not love then, but it was an interest that Xena thought she could not afford.  
Xena could not afford friends or family. She could not afford to care for anyone. She could not afford to love anyone... Love meant loss.  
But standing here, it is like going back in time...  
To the first moment where Xena let her guard down and let her heart open up and let Gabrielle in. She let those gentle hands guide her, let that soft voice soothe her and let that girl become everything.

Zeus is away, for now. Pushed back by the smile upon Gabrielle's face and the smile upon Xena's lips, threatening to force all darkness away by its sheer velocity, by its overwhelming light.  
Xena reaches out, not sure if she has hands or feet or anything beyond her feelings for the woman before her.  
And contact, sweet and glorious contact, is made after so long.  
Gabrielle is holding her, wrapped about Xena's soul like air, cradling the warrior like a child.  
And all Xena can do is pull Gabrielle closer, until not a space is between them. Until they are like one.

"I did not know if I would see you again..." Gabrielle whispers.  
Xena wants to laugh and cry and jump up and down. Instead, as if movement might make it all a dream, Xena turns her head slightly and feels familiar soft hair caress her cheek.  
"Nothing can keep me from you." Xena whispers back.  
Gabrielle pulls away then and Xena looks at the woman, fighting the panic at letting her go for one second.  
And they are as they used to be, Gabrielle in her short skirt and red top... Xena in her battle leathers and armor.  
Xena watches the emotions play over Gabrielle's face and realizes that that promise has been made before.

"Tell me how you feel."  
Gabrielle laughs and Xena knows it is from a long ago conversation in another made-up world of unreality.  
"I still hurt inside, but it lessens with every moment."  
"Can you forgive me?"  
Gabrielle is silent and Xena comes closer, putting her hands upon Gabrielle's shoulders, watching as the clothing changes again. Xena is in a scarlet robe and it pools at her now bare feet. Gabrielle is tense in this armor from Japa, clutching the sacred katana once again.  
"Nothing has ever hurt more than losing you. Or at least, I thought nothing could hurt more than watching you fade with the sun... but I was wrong. Losing your spirit bit by bit was worse. Losing myself was worse."

And they cry, one of them loud and the other releasing silent tears. Xena holds Gabrielle close, her arms encircling the woman's waist. And Xena repeats the words, not a hollow promise, but the words of apology and the words of sorrow and the words of love.  
Gabrielle turns quickly, pulling Xena's face down and they kiss.  
And Xena sees the first time, many years ago now. Hesitant and shy, burning off and turning into lust.  
That kiss is the past. This kiss is forever.  
Gabrielle's lips trail down, capturing Xena's chin and onward to the neck, tugging the robe down and leaving the flesh on display. Xena hands wander and claim, removing armor and undoing clasps, finding warm skin to mold and grip.  
They are falling, the battle forgotten and the death ignored.  
Gabrielle speaks into Xena's hair, her body moving like a stream over the warrior.  
And the words are wonderful, not a hollow acceptance, but the words of forgiveness and the words of peace and the words of love.

"I won't let go."  
"I know."  
"Then... we will go together, as it is meant to be..."

*

Zeus rails against this overthrow.  
**If it is the last thing I ever do, I will kill this girl. And rip Artemis to pieces.**  
He watches the outside world and forces this body to move, though the limbs are resistant.  
**Mortals understand nothing. They do not understand power or being the master of your own fate. They prefer the sickly sweet trappings of love.**  
He spies Xena's body and makes his own form jump high, crashing down next to the goddess within the warrior.

**Artemis!**  
And he watches Xena's body turn, but sees the eyes of his wayward child staring back. Those eyes of gold, shining in the firelight of this burning city. Zeus sees her rage and her pain.  
_**How far you have fallen, father?**_  
Zeus makes these lungs heave and draw in breath, makes this throat produce laughter.  
**You dare to claim me as family, Artemis! A betrayer to me is not my child.**  
_**So be it. I will not sacrifice my Amazons. I will not sacrifice my chosen!**_

Zeus draws closer, pulling his sword and holding it firm, stilling these uncooperative arms.

**You'll have to kill your chosen then, Artemis. Think you can?**

Artemis hopes and prays, though to whom... she does not know. She sends out a last thought to Varia, praising her on the leadership shown.  
_You will make a good queen to my Amazons._  
The eyes of the warrior woman seem to find her upon this roof and Artemis smiles.  
_Go now, Varia. Athens will fall and you must live to fight another day. Get them out of here. Zeus will not follow, not this night... I will take him on._  
The goddess can feel Varia balk, but does not listen. She waits for the Amazon to do what is needed... as she has during this entire battle.  
And as another explosion goes off, sending those left alive scattering... Varia shouts out a call for retreat, daring one last look to the goddess before the darkness of the woods gathers them all up.

_**Send your warriors away. Let us end this now.**_  
**My pleasure.** Zeus responds. He calls out to what is left of his army, telling them to fall back until other orders are given. They seem confused, but do not dare to speak out.  
And Athens is silent except the crackle of flames.  
Zeus pours all his will into this body and the muscles stretch, the bones pop... but he is moving now, running toward Artemis, ready to cause pain to the body of Xena and the soul of a goddess.

_Xena... I can't give you more time. I must fight Zeus. If you can hear me, tell my Chosen... tell her that I am sorry for what is to come..._

Artemis raises the bow, letting an arrow fly and watching it embed into mortal flesh, just above the knee. Zeus staggers, but keeps moving. His sword deflects the next one and the next one. He drives the blade down, catching Artemis on her side, leaving a shallow gash.  
Her fist launches out, striking Zeus and cracking the jaw. They trade blows and Artemis steps back, readying another arrow. Before Zeus can get closer, she lets it loose.

*

And then, it is ending. Again.  
This time, much worse and much more painful.  
Xena stares in horror as Gabrielle twists away, gasping and shaking. Blood pours from unknown wounds and all the stars go out.  
"Gabrielle..." Xena whimpers, the name torn from her lips. She flails about in the never-ending darkness, hoping to find the woman and keep her close, to stay with her, to not let go this time... _Damn you, Artemis! I won't let her go, not this time... Please, I need more time..._

_Time means very little, you know..._ A voice responds, oh so familiar to Xena's ears. It is youthful and hopeful and calm. It is Gabrielle, moons ago... that first day when they met.  
"I know..." Xena says brokenly. A hand finds hers and Xena holds it tight, feeling the tremble and the cold.  
_And I am not afraid to die. You know this, too._ A little older now, in an old barn and with an army closing in, with Xena's heart raw with longing and loss.  
"Losing you is never easy, Gabrielle."  
_But we will meet again and again. We've made promises, you know... I've made promises to you and I won't let you down..._ Closer still to when last they touched and last they kissed and last they held each other in the real world, closer to Japa and closer to the end...  
"I love you. You are my everything... my joy, my source, my reason... And I go where you go this time. I am yours, forever." Xena whispers.

And the hand holding her own grips, pulls Xena closer to the ragged breathing body of Gabrielle. They look at each other, in love and in solace.

"We will... go... together..." Gabrielle sighs, her eyes fluttering and struggling to stay open.  
"Together. As it is meant to be." Xena says, leaning down and placing a kiss upon Gabrielle's brow.

*

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Always Part 19**

Varia looks back. Just once and then, she keep running. Whatever is left of this ragtag band of warriors' staggers along, the smoke and blood clinging to them. But the words of Artemis echo in her mind, tearing her apart.  
_If I run, what kind of Amazon am I? And if I disobey my goddess, what kind of Amazon am I?_  
She decides this must be the ultimate example of 'rock and a hard place'.  
It is only the waves of sadness mixed with relief pouring off of the others that keeps Varia on the path from Athens and destruction.  
The young men walking slowly with hollow eyes, probably wondering if they will ever get over this night.  
Or the few Amazons left, missing fellow sisters and their homes.  
And Varia, seemingly given the mantle of queen. The queen of the Amazons...  
_Without a nation, without a camp... Oh Artemis, will you even be here to guide us after this night passes?_

A strong hand grips Varia arm and she turns to find her sister in arms, Anteris, standing there.  
"We should rest. Right?" The woman questions and all eyes turn to Varia, waiting for more commands.  
"Right." Varia says quietly.  
Bodies settle down, weary and thirsty. Varia tries to gather her wits, to find a source of water and keep a watch out. She asks Anteris to take to the trees. She posts guards to the edge of them.  
And then Varia walks off, listening and smelling the air, catching the faint scent of a stream to her far left.

She walks and walks, letting her mind wander. It is not the smart thing to do in battle... _But the battle is over now, isn't it? I've been sent away to be queen and let Artemis... and Xena solve this problem._  
Varia shoves this issue away, finding that it leaves a bad taste in her mouth.  
When she does find the stream, calm and tranquil amongst all this death, Varia sits down. She stares into the nighttime and listens to the quiet rush of water.

_Artemis, I will do all I can. But I am full of sorrow. Sorrow at all this loss and at all this blood... I have all I wanted now, but I wish... I wish I could just give it back to Gabrielle. Not to avoid, but so that she would be alive and here and... What will you do? What will happen to Xena? To Gabrielle? And what of the Amazons? I have so many questions and no answers seem to come. And I am tired, for the first time ever. Tired of fighting and losing. It is not very Amazon of me, but I..._

"I am lost." Varia whispers, letting the words slip out along with held back tears. And she cries. She continues to sob, crumpling to the ground.  
And Anteris picks up this sound in the wind, turning her face away in silent grief for a sister.  
And the others stand still, watching the woods with guarded eyes and they, too, wonder at their fates as Athens burns to ash.

*

Artemis watches as the arrow sails forth, knowing this will kill someone she loves and only set free someone she used to love. Her father was not always like this, a tyrant among the living. He used to bestow such love upon humans and his children. But, somewhere along the way, Zeus favored himself over all.  
And that selfishness brought him here, to Athens, in another's body...  
But, then again, Artemis knows her own selfishness concerning the Amazons brought her back.  
It is the mortals who get caught in the middle.

She can hear Varia's weeping and her confused thoughts. She can hear the labored breathing of other sisters. She can hear the beating heart within Gabrielle's body, threatening to crumble and set Zeus free.  
_It is not what I wanted, not how I wanted things to go. He'll just take another form soon enough and I will have to fight him again._

Zeus watches the fine tip draw closer, settled in the notion that this Gabrielle must die. He is a little surprised at his daughter and her course of action. _We are more alike than you'd like to believe, Artemis._  
Both willing to sacrifice others for our own agenda. Both willing to take over others in order to win.  
He turns an eye to the sad display going on inside this flesh-and-bone cage, to the two souls holding tight to one another._ Love. It only hurts and wounds. Why wouldn't any of you listen to me? Try to understand what I was offering?_

He can hear the choked sound of Xena's words and the barest whisper of Gabrielle's replies. He can hear the sound of fire and wind and the cut of this arrow through the air. It is the sound of a setback, but not of failure.  
_This time, I won't fail. This time... it is all mine._

*

Xena notices the little things first, like always. Like the way light catches in Gabrielle's hair, making it glow.  
Like the pale face, soft and smooth, slowly turning to the right... slowly turning away.  
Like the flutter of fingertips against Xena's palm, warm wings of the most beautiful butterfly.

"Please. Wait for me. I beg you, wait for me." Xena says, her voice echoing inside this endless moment.

And those eyes are on the warrior, opening wide. The lips form the most wonderful smile, causing Xena to smile in return.

"Always."

That is what Gabrielle promises, even as her hand falls away and her eyes close. Xena sits there, unable to move as the clothing soaks to a deep red and the shaft of an arrow materializes in Gabrielle's chest.  
Xena leans down, ignorant of the river of tears down her own face, and places a kiss to those quiet lips, that silent mouth.

"Always, Gabrielle. You wait for me and I'll be with you soon. I promise." Xena whispers against those lips before rising upward, feeling a surge of energy like no other in this world, in this universe.

_Artemis be damned. Amazons be damned. Zeus, I know you can hear me. Know that I am the end of you._

And her soul reaches out, pulling at everything she can grab, everything spiritual and intangible and mysterious. No Eli, no angels or demons, no goddess with her bow... Xena tugs her way back to her own form, pushing Artemis out and rushing the darkness of Zeus as he rises from the fallen body of Gabrielle.

**You think you can win now? I am the one who is winning, Xena!** Zeus shouts into her mind.  
But she has him, whether he wants to believe it or not. Xena finds her hands wrapped about Zeus, the black mist of him swirling around in anger.

"I've got you. And you are going to die. For good." The warrior princess growls.  
Xena then looks to Artemis and her wavering spirit form, blue eyes narrowing at the goddess.  
"Remember what you said, Artemis. Take her to the Amazon land of the dead and then carry me over. It all ends tonight."

*

After an age it seems, the last of Zeus protectors fall. Their bodies line the stone floor, bleeding and charred. Ares surveys the damage and then looks to his sister.  
"Why didn't I ever know about this kind of power?" He questions.  
Aphrodite blows a strand of blonde hair out of her face.  
"You didn't need to know." She smiles and starts to step around fallen men.  
"You'd be great in a war, you know..." Ares says behind her.  
"That's for you, bro. I am here to bring about love." Aphrodite turns and grabs his arm, tugging him along like a toy doll.

_At least, most of the time..._ She thinks inwardly with a grin. It is that moment when a cold jolt runs through her skin, forming a knot in her stomach. _No... Oh no, not this..._  
Ares stumbles into her back and is about to chastise the woman when he catches a look at her face.  
"What?" Ares asks.  
"It's too late. She's... dead."  
And then Ares watches a single tear cut a path upon her face. And he does not need to ask who that solitary tear is for. The god of war finds his first thought, as usual, turn to Xena.  
_Whether I'd like to admit it or not, Gabrielle's death is probably not going down well for the warrior princess._  
He reaches out to sense the woman like always, but finds... nothing.

"I can't find her." Ares states.  
Aphrodite looks at her brother, not needing an explanation from him. She has dreaded this moment, not wanting to cause her brother pain. _Even the god of war can feel loss, can feel love._  
"I'm sorry." Aphrodite say quietly.  
Ares quirks an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you or something?"  
"Ares, Xena is also dead."  
He chuckles for a moment. "Sure. And her dead body just happens to be able to walk and talk, eh?"  
"I wish I could explain it all, but Artemis brought her back from the dead to fight our father. She died away from here, away from Greece and you... I knew it when Gabrielle came back."  
Ares looks at his sister then, something in him coming to an abrupt halt.

"I would have known." Ares grinds out, his energy rolling off in waves and pulsing about the temple.  
_I thought you would have, too._ Aphrodite thinks sadly, placing her hand upon his shoulder.  
"I would have felt it. She is my chosen... Why didn't I know?" Ares finally asks, his eyes clouding over and Aphrodite pulls him close, hugging her brother for endless minutes.  
"I don't know." Aphrodite murmurs, feeling her own sorrows flow out of her and join with her brother's pain.  
_Gabrielle, I'm sorry I didn't make it in time. I'm going to miss you, sweet pea. Out of all these mortals, you were the only one I... well, I don't need to tell you. I think you knew. I think you knew just how much I cherished your friendship and caring. I think you always knew that I loved you more than anyone else._

Ares, for the first time, let's all his thoughts ebb out of his steel-trap mind. And he lets himself feel, to really feel those hidden emotions. _Xena, you damned woman. You know I loved you like no other and I let you go, I let you wander off with that blonde and now... You'll never know just how much I... well, maybe I am wrong. Maybe you always knew. And you know what, I hope you did. I hope you knew that the God of War loved you, but Ares... me... I loved you more._

They both pull apart, un-shed tears apparent in Ares eyes. Aphrodite kisses his cheek.

"We have a job to finish." He states softly.  
"Yes. We do." She replies.

And they both hurry, deeper into the temple, toward the barely-lit candles and the dusty altar. And there, in full view, is the soul of Zeus.

*

end of part 19


	20. Chapter 20

ALWAYS PART 20

Part 20

Artemis lends the woman strength as best as she can, considering that Xena is pushing the goddess away.  
But she can feel the warrior's pain. It rattles about Xena's soul and collides with Artemis, with the spirit of Zeus, with the entire world.

And Xena holds on, though it seems impossible. Zeus is but a formless mist, a black entity... twisting and turning, trying to break free. The warrior princess laughs and it is scarily hollow.

"Who's winning now?" Xena questions the former father of all gods and goddesses.  
**She cannot hold me forever, Artemis! Tell her it is no use!** Zeus shouts in the mind of his daughter.  
Artemis looks for options and finds that there is very little to hold onto now.

_**Xena, listen to me... we have to find another way, we have to...**_

But Xena's mind is like a wall. Artemis cannot break in or find the way around.

_**Xena, you cannot stop Zeus like this!**_ Artemis shouts. Xena laughs again, her fingers going deeper into the shadows of Zeus.

"I'll keep you here for all of time, Zeus." Xena whispers. "I'll keep you here until I find a way to rid the world of you."  
**And you will fail, Xena. Just like you failed your friend there, just like you failed the Amazons and my Artemis... I will succeed and you will be ashes upon the ground.**

*

Ares stands back, suddenly reticent. Aphrodite seems to glare at this oblong stone.  
_Nothing that pretty should be so wrong_, she thinks as her fingers slide softly over the surface of...  
"It's his soul." Ares says quietly.  
"Yes." Aphrodite shivers a bit. This moment leaves them both on edge and nervous, for so many reasons.  
"What will happen?" The goddess of love questions aloud. Ares steps closer, wrapping his palm about the blue-white stone.  
"I... don't know..." The god of war replies.

And Aphrodite stands beside Ares.  
They raise up the stone and the god of war quirks his eyes upward.

"Father!" He shouts. Aphrodite shoots him an annoyed look.  
"Why are you calling him?" She hisses.  
"So he can see it happen." Ares answers back coldly.

*

Zeus wants to be the victor.  
But he has wanting nothing more than that it seems, forever spent in the search of... forever. Immortality in the hearts and minds of the living, his palace in the clouds and his family about him. That is what was meant to be.

But with the shout of his son and the frozen feeling in his senses, Zeus knows that the chance is slipping away.  
Again.  
**No! Nooooo!** Zeus rages, almost blowing Xena back and forcing Artemis to lessen what control she has over the formerly living warrior princess.

Artemis watches in horror as not only her father, but Xena as well, vanish into thin air.  
And the protector of the Amazons, the goddess of the hunt, is left with a burning city and her fallen Chosen upon a crumbling rooftop.

She lowers herself for the first time to Gabrielle's still body. _I am so sorry, Gabrielle. You've suffered so much and now... now, I fail you again._  
Artemis wants to reach out. She wants to cradle this girl and bring her back to life. But it is not meant to be.  
As with other times, Artemis is powerless to stop the loss of her sisters' lives.  
_I do not know where Xena or Zeus has gone. I cannot feel either of them._  
She looks back upon Gabrielle's face.  
_But there is one thing I can do. I can send your soul to peace, my chosen sister. I can fulfill this wish. And, if it is within any realm of possibility, I will bring Xena to you as well._

Artemis shimmers like a star in the darkness, spreading outward and creating a hazy white glow about Gabrielle's body. The goddess reaches out, pulling upward and speaking loudly.

_Gabrielle. Come with me. It is time to go home._

*

_It's like after a long nap. You wake up groggy and slightly confused. But then... then the fogginess falls away and you see the sunlight. You know you are awake and alive. And the day is new.__  
__It is warm. It is good._

That is what Gabrielle notices first. And then she is moving, faster than running or being upon a horse. She is moving at the speed of wind. She can see all things and, yet, they are barely there long enough before she is past them.  
Trees and mountains and sky and plants and the ocean... Gabrielle is seeing everything in a rush.

_I am dead._

She knows this even as she thinks it.  
And she remembers being trapped in her own body. She recalls Zeus and fighting and...

_Xena._  
Gabrielle stops the motions of her body and everything slows down. Everything halts and she is neither above the ground, nor below it.  
_Where is Xena? I need to wait for her... She asked me to wait for her..._

**If I can bring her to you, I will. That is a promise I will keep for eternity.** A voice responds from seemingly nowhere. Gabrielle closes her eyes and opens her mouth, not sure if any sound will come out or not.  
But it does. Crystal clear and echoing over this vast wintry landscape that she has paused within, Gabrielle hears her own voice.

"Eternity is too long of a wait. Xena and I... we've waited too long already."  
**I must find her first and I must destroy Zeus.**  
"Then let me help."  
**You are in the Amazon land of the dead. Your soul is here to rest and find peace.**  
"Peace is not possible for me here, not until Xena is with me."

Silence follows and Gabrielle watches the sun cast beautiful rays upon ice and within clouds. _The Amazon land of the dead is gorgeous. Kind of surprising. Just missing one thing..._  
The phantom voice is now close as it speaks.

**You are as stubborn as the warrior.**  
And Gabrielle, for the first time in a very long time, laughs. It cascades from her lips and into the atmosphere.  
"Yes I am."  
**I would have to bring you back as I did for her. And it would not be for long. I promised her that your soul would be brought here and I intend to keep that promise.**  
Gabrielle nods her head and feels her own lips form a smile.

"I made a promise, too." Gabrielle says softly, the memory of a spoken vow and lips against her own racing through her mind. _I said always and I meant it. This time, Xena... this time, we are going to get it right._

**Let's find her and then I can bring you both back here.** Artemis says, standing in front of the battling bard and former queen of the Amazons, enclosing Gabrielle in that now-familiar dusky glow of a goddess.

"Xena, I'm on my way..." Gabrielle whispers as the landscape swiftly fades to black again.

*

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

ALWAYS PART 21

Part 21

Two pairs of eyes fall upon the center of the room, watching as the wind picked up and swirled about. And in that tornado of dust and electricity, Aphrodite could make out the faint outline of a figure.

It was familiar. It was someone she should know, but somehow couldn't place.

"That's not our father." She says aloud. And Ares narrows his gaze, his jaw set and his lips in a thin line. Even if he did not feel the connection, Ares would always know this person.

This woman wrapped in leather and in battle, her arms outstretched and tense… her hands buried in the now-apparent cloud of black energy. A black energy named Zeus.

"He's there. He is just being dominated by Xena ." Ares states, his grip tightening on the stone. Aphrodite can't help herself, she shakes with sudden laughter. Ares spares a brief look at his sister. _Great, has she cracked now? Just when I think we might fix this mess, she is losing it._

The goddess of love feels the strain of this situation take its toll on her emotions. From losing a friend and not getting the chance to say good-bye to watching her family die and then come back to create more havoc… _I have to laugh or I just might cry._

As things settle down, they are plain to see. The mist that is at once fathomless and then concrete, shadows of their father's face that then disappears. And then there is Xena.

_She is gripping air, energy… How is she doing that? _Ares wonders, once again in awe at his former chosen.

**You've make your choice, just like before. My ignorant children, forever siding with humans over their father… over family.**

Zeus breaks through the silence. Aphrodite takes a deep breath and looks to her brother.

"I think we have a job to do." She says quietly. Ares keeps watching the two most important people in his godhood, looking back and forth between the two.

And then Xena slowly turns her head, staring at the immortals. She looks at their raised arms and at the polished oblong stone in their hands. She takes in the crumbling altar room, the fallen soldiers of Zeus and his last attempt at domination.

And she looks at Aphrodite. The goddess of love does not avert her eyes in return. Xena thinks the woman is trying to tell her something, to pass along some kind of sympathy. The Xena holding Zeus back doesn't want to care, doesn't want to hear it… But the Xena that Gabrielle created, she hears it all too well.

_Gabrielle… All I want is to be with you…_

"He killed her." Xena says, her voice echoing against the stone walls.

"I know. I am sorry… more than you can ever know." Aphrodite replies.

"I am here to finish this. Don't stop me." It is a threat that Xena cannot truly guarantee to carry out, but she makes it anyway. _I always find a way. I can this time. I can beat Zeus… This time, I can get it right._

"We're not here to stop you. We are here to help." Ares says, his eyes on Xena one second and then to anywhere but Xena.

And she looks at the god of war. He cannot hold her gaze for long. But Xena thinks he is trying to convey something, to make her understand some kind of feeling that makes him scared. The Xena of old wants to laugh and to mock. But the Xena that Gabrielle created can only be truthful.

_When I find you again, Gabrielle, you'll be so proud of me. Proud of this moment._

"Still aiming for that one in a billion chance, hmm?" Xena asks rhetorically, her head cocked to the side.

Ares looks up sharply, waiting for coldness to be in those blue eyes. But it is not there.

What he finds is merely acceptance and honesty… _And my chance slipping away for good, eh Xena? That's what you are really telling me._

Ares smiles, shoving these emotions deep inside.

"So, you gonna let us help?" He asks.

Xena smiles at the both of them, her eyes lighting up as she then turns back to her captured enemy.

"Tell me what you have in mind." She says smoothly.

*

Varia didn't mean to fall asleep. But everything just… stopped. The fighting ended, the running ceased and the talking dwindled down to nothing. The whole world seemed to be in silence.

There were eyes still watching the woods and the roads, waiting for the bloodshed to start up again.

But nothing happens.

And Varia sleeps for the first time in days. She sleeps and dreams.

Dreams of Artemis, sees the goddess flying through the trees and watches the goddess chase a deer, feet and hooves kicking up mud.

She dreams of Xena, the warrior crying and killing, a mass of pain and anguish that gets caught up in the flames of Athens.

_This dream, though… this dream feels so real. There are arms hugging me and a voice telling me things will be alright. This person is not letting me go, but they are not staying. They tell me to build again, to be strong, to survive… And I am weeping. I can feel the heat of my tears on their shoulder._

_And I slowly pull back, watery gaze taking them in._

_Gabrielle…_

_And the woman smiles, it is bright and untroubled. I wish for such peace._

"_One day, Varia. One day, we will all meet again. Now is your time." Gabrielle cups my face and kisses both cheeks. Then Gabrielle is turning around, throwing one last glance back to me… an impish grin and a wink and then Gabrielle is gone._

_Too fast for me to keep up, too fast for me to see where she is going…_

Varia wakes up to find the sun just beginning its ascent up into the sky. The dusk is still heavy in the sky and the light of day is a mirage at the horizon.

She hears the distinct sound of someone coming down from the trees and looks to her left. It is Anteris. Varia stands up and waves the woman over. They clasped arms in a warrior greeting, more for the sake of it than for a real reason.

It reassures them both in a time when assurance is rare.

"I hope you got some sleep in those limbs." Varia states. Anteris nods.

"Plenty. And you?"

"My sleep was… full of visions." Varia answers softly. Anteris leans against a tree and crosses her arms. Varia takes her in, the honey-rich blonde hair and myriad of bruises on the skin. This fellow Amazon… this fellow fighter…

"Everything will be alright." Anteris looks at Varia as she says this. And Varia lets her eyelids flutter shut for a moment, the last vestiges of her dream coming back with clarity.

"Yes. It will. We will build our nation up again and we will survive." Varia speaks, her eyes opening and a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Anteris smiles back then grips Varia's shoulder.

"Spoken like a queen."

_Like a queen, for that is who I am now. Queen of the Amazons. _

"Let's give these fellow warriors safe passage, then let us go homeward. We have a nation to rebuild."

And Varia looks up to the skies, sending out a final good-bye to Xena and to Artemis….

_And to you, Gabrielle. Wherever you are… Godspeed…_

_*_

**Did that help you?**

"Yes, very much. She needed to know. I needed to let her know that… well, that things will work out."

**She will be a good queen. Much like you would have been.**

Gabrielle let go of that possibility many moons ago. It might have been the secure thing to do or even the right thing to do… but Gabrielle always knew where she had to be.

Gabrielle was made for Xena.

"Thank you for that. I know my time is limited."

**I have promises, too, Chosen. I still cannot sense Zeus or Xena.**

Gabrielle beckons this white light closer still, she pulls Artemis into her soul and finds her body lifting up, her arms and legs filling up with hot liquid fire. _Not at all like Zeus, which was cold and sharp like a knife._

_This is warm. This is life-giving._

"Zeus should have never picked me for his vessel."

**Why?, **Artemis asks from within Gabrielle's mind, an peculiar reverb inside her skin.

"Because there was always the chance I would escape, would find a way to fight him. And so… I didn't forget anything I witnessed as he rampaged. I can follow his footsteps for they were my own."

And Gabrielle finds her feet firmly on the ground, can feel the clothes on her body and the wind in her hair. She takes a deep breath, finding smoke and decay.

She begins to run, images jumping into her brain… places where her feet walked, where tears were shed, where she let go of herself and found Zeus waiting in the wings.

**Wait. Something… The temple is near, but I sense others there. Ares. Aphrodite.**

"It's a family reunion then."

**You sense my father there and I do not? How is that possible?**

But it is not Zeus that Gabrielle feels. It is not the former god of Greece that causes her heart to beat as if real again. It is not Zeus that makes Gabrielle want to shout out loud with glee.

It is Xena.

"Wherever she is… that is where Zeus is, Artemis."

*

Xena isn't sure how she is doing any of this. Sheer determination is all she can think of. Willpower that no god or demi-god or upstart can stop… That is what makes this possible, this moment in time where Xena is holding back the formless Zeus.

_And here I thought I would have to do this for eternity, Zeus. Turns out it will be a lot simpler than that._

**It won't bring her back, you know. She is in the land of the dead. Artemis may take her chosen, but she can't take you. She lied to you. She used you. Your soul will wither in the darkness.**

"Fine by me." Xena responds coolly. She looks over at Ares and Aphrodite. She lets her vision rest upon the stone, this innocuous item that cradles the soul of Zeus.

_How simple. I could have saved a lot of time and grief if I had known about that little thing._

Something catches Aphrodite's attention and she stares past Xena, past her father. And her throat closes up, it tightens and an odd feeling overcomes her.

_It is like joy, but stronger. Deeper than that… _

She looks closer, staring with not just her eyes but with everything that makes her the goddess of love, of desire, of affection and want.

And it is not a dream. _It's Gabrielle…_

"Sweet pea…?" It is out of her mouth before she can censor it, a startled whisper coasting over her lips. Her arm involuntarily lowers, taking Ares down with it. He looks to his sister angrily.

"What are you doing? Bring it back up!" He growls.

But everything happens quickly then.

Xena hears the term of endearment, hitting her ears like a thunderbolt. And her head whips around, frantic eyes searching for the face to go with Aphrodite's utterance… and finds it there, finds Gabrielle standing there. Unharmed and bright as the sun, just standing there with a soft smile.

"Xena…" Gabrielle sighs, the name like a prayer.

And the warrior princess feels like falling to her knees.

It is that moment that Zeus reaches out and thrusts viscous-like fingers into Xena's chest.

**You let your guard down, Xena… **Zeus laughs, twisting and turning inside her body, slowly moving to completely take her over.

Gabrielle watches in horror as Xena crashes to the floor.

*

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Part Twenty Two (Conclusion)

**Once I have you, your soul is forfeit. There is no going back, Xena.** Zeus whispers this finality into Xena's mind, watching her body crumble to the stone floor and twist with pain.  
The shouting makes his eyes slide to the right, to Gabrielle rushing forward and wrapping her arms about Xena's waist.

"Let her go!" Gabrielle yells, trying to meet Zeus and his glare head-on. She is not afraid. Death has taken her, there is nothing to fear for her body is gone, it is just an illusion.  
But the soul... It is the soul that she fights for now. _Mine and Xena's._  
"Artemis! Help me, help me get Xena away from him!"

And the surge of energy is strong, it is more powerful than anything Gabrielle has ever felt. But even with that, even with all the pulling and the force radiating in her arms... Gabrielle watches in mute agony as Zeus draws closer to the fallen body of Xena, his blackness coating the warrior's skin.

"Xena, please fight... help me... c'mon, wake up... wake up, dammit! Wake up!" Gabrielle shouts over and over, pulling and straining. She dares a look to the front of the temple, to Aphrodite and Ares frozen in place.  
"Help her, please!" She cries to them, real tears falling down her ghostly face.

Ares lifts the stone upward only to find Aphrodite's hand on his arm, her grip surprisingly strong.  
"What will it do to them if we smash it? To us?"  
"Too late to think about that, sis."  
They look at each other for an endless moment, sizing up that this might be the end of not only Zeus and his soul, but maybe more than that. The scroll certainly didn't give any ideas as to what might happen if the stone was destroyed.  
But they had come this far, for the love of two mortals.

"I told you I wouldn't let the woman you love suffer. At least, not much." Ares joked, his eyes telling a different tale than one of humor. Aphrodite decides not to correct him.  
"And I wouldn't let Xena suffer either." She responds, letting go of his arm, then turning to Gabrielle's anguished face and the almost-taken over form of Xena.

"Gabrielle! Just hold on for dear life... or dear death as the case may be..." Aphrodite shouts.

Zeus rears back suddenly, shifting his focus toward the altar. It causes a weakening of his hold over Xena and the woman wails out in sudden release, her body limp and useless. Gabrielle cradles the warrior, all the while her grip never lessens and her eyes latched onto the stone.  
It looks like... _in my dream, I found that in my dream and it gave me strength. It gave me Zeus._

**No!** Zeus shouts, the sound of his voice rocking the foundation of the temple. Ares and Aphrodite grant their father one last look, sorrow and determination mixed together in their eyes.

**There will be no going back, children...** He says, reaching out with everything to stop them.

"We..." Ares starts.  
"...know." Aphrodite finishes.

And they bring the stone down.

*

It is quick. The moment the stone splits open... the world changes.

Ares shouts out his sister's name, finding her hand thrust outward and grabs it. No sooner than that happens, they are flying back. His back registers the hard impact against the wall and then they are past the wall, the cool air rushing against their skin.  
He can see the blue of the sky flying above him and the flutter of pink, Aphrodite's dress like some wild bird.  
Her grip is tight, is shaking.  
That is what jolts him into reaching out, finding the surface of a tree and digging his fingers into it, turning cypress to splinters and tossing them to the ground.  
The dust flies up around them and, then, silence.

"Did you see it?" Aphrodite's voice asks quietly. Ares looks over at her, notices that they are still holding hands. He tightens the hold for just a moment and then let's go completely.  
"Yes." He replies just as quietly.

They saw, for just a second, the end of their father. They saw a shaft of white light run through his spectral form and then... an explosion, an energy fallout unlike anything Ares had ever seen on a battlefield or with any godly power.  
And he saw Xena, her body listless, held by Gabrielle. He saw them and then he was flying backwards.

_Xena..._ His thoughts were interrupted by the strong tug on his upper arm. Aphrodite was standing above him.

"They are together now."  
Ares gets up and crosses him arms over his chest.  
"Don't rub it in."  
Aphrodite wraps him up in a hug and Ares returns it.  
"They've got this soul thing going on, bro. We can't fight it... but, at least, we did right by them. That counts for something."  
Ares pulls back, a smirk on his lips.  
"I was right."  
Aphrodite looks at him blankly. "Right about what?"  
"You loved her." Ares states, waiting to be shot down or smacked or one of the many ways that Aphrodite likes to reprimand someone. But it never comes.  
Instead he gets the smallest of smiles and then he is being pulled along through the forest. His voice finally catches up with his mind and he stops walking, bringing Aphrodite to a stop.

"You... loved her?" It is a question, a sincere one for once. Aphrodite allows a sigh to pass her lips, glancing back briefly at her brother.  
"Don't rub it in." She says with a smirk.

And, for once, Ares lets it slide. He walks beside his sister, keeping his hand with hers.

"So, what now? We are it, the only immortals left. Gonna keep trying to turn the world into your own love-fest?"  
"Only if you keep trying to turn the world into your own battle-ground."  
"It's a deal then."

And the last immortals of the known universe smile at each other, deciding to walk instead of use their powers.  
After all, they have all the time in the world to get back home.

*

Artemis felt the power first, felt it push against her so hard that she lost sight of Gabrielle and Xena, lost sight of everything. And then... she opened her eyes.  
The temple was gone. It was dust. But more than that, the very ground seemed to be... gone.  
It was as if the very world had disappeared.

"Where am I?" Artemis asks aloud, her voice sounding almost foreign to her ears. It had been a long time since the goddess used her voice.  
Then, slowly, as if water soaking a cloth... the world comes back into a blurred focus, the colors there but muted and hazy.  
As the vision starts to sharpen, Artemis sees a figure coming close to her. And the closer this entity comes, the more shocked Artemis feels.  
For it is herself. A younger version, no less wise or timeless, but still... the child she once was, the child who begged a father for gifts and freedom.  
Artemis reaches out and is startled to feel the softness of her youthful hair slip past her fingertips.

"Through me, you will save them."  
"Through... me? What do you mean? Them?"  
"The Amazons. The queen needs an heir."

_But how is this possible? This is me... or a part of me... How can I be there and here? What of my soul?_

"You will preside over them, guide them in times of peril. But the queen needs an heir."  
"You and I are the same. This makes no sense!"

And the child steps closer still, pulling the adult Artemis down and stroking her face tenderly.

"Do you recall the story of the six wishes?" The child asks and Artemis is struck dumb, sadness unwittingly filling up her eyes.  
"We asked for more than just the hunt. And we got more than just free reign. Our father gave us everything."  
_Our father, Zeus. Our father... a tyrant and a curse... a giver of wishes..._  
"He told me the hunt would never end." The adult Artemis says softly.

"And so it shall not. I've only been waiting." The child Artemis states.

_You protect._ The child intones.  
_You hunt._ The adult informs.

"And together, we will save them." They say in unison. The adult Artemis takes the child in her arms, she fingers the bow and the arrows, blessing all three with a kiss.

"And what of my Chosen? Have you seen her?" Artemis asks the child. The girl turns her face upward, gazing at the still pastel sky.

"They go where gods cannot reach them." The child answers.

And Artemis sends out a prayer of thanks to whoever may hear it. _The promise was not broken, no matter the odds. They are together._

"I must go. The queen must find me and take me in." The girl steps back. Artemis watches her walk off, back the direction from which she came. The scenery shifts once more, looking more familiar with each glance.  
The Amazon land of the dead greets her, the mountains and the fields, the forest and the throne from which Artemis used to sit, used to judge and live.

"Home." She says, feeling a contentment long missing for these past moons.

*

It had been weeks since Athens. And Varia still found a nightmare or two of all the carnage she witnessed. It was worse than Helicon. But the days grew longer, the Amazons pulled together and set about rebuilding their nation. Again.  
_Perhaps, one day, we will get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of these repetitive labors..._Varia mused.

The numbers were small as they trekked back to the lands of their foremothers. And while there would always be woman eager to become warriors, it seemed as though a permanent dent had been made.  
Varia wondered if they would ever be as strong as they once were.  
She didn't know if there was a goddess to pray to anymore, but Varia found herself whispering to Artemis anyway.  
The queen decided that even if no one heard her pleas, it at least made her feel better.

It was during the morning, a full moon beyond Athens and all that went with that battle that Anteris came into Varia's hut. The queen tensed immediately, wary of the out-of-breath Amazon before her.  
_Please. Do not be trouble._ Varia begged silently.

"We found a child wandering the woods during patrol. Varia, I am not sure... but I think she may be a gift..."  
"What do you mean, Anteris?"  
"It is her bow, made of the finest wood, sleek and polished. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. And the child can use it!"

Varia did not trust this scenario. _A gift? What could she mean by that comment? Like a child with a bow could be anything other than a someone's lost daughter... or a trap of some kind..._

Anteris waits for Varia to say something, wishing the queen would be as eager. Of course, the Amazon guesses that the story might not sound as amazing with fresh ears. But Anteris saw the girl, saw the precision with which the arrow shot and hit the target. Anteris was always teased as a child about believing others, of being 'gullible'.  
But something about this girl-child, something about this felt... good to Anteris.

And as an Amazon, she had to trust her instincts.

"Why do you call this child a gift, Anteris?" Varia finally asks.  
"I wonder if she might be from Artemis."  
"We do not even know if there is an Artemis anymore." Varia says, noting that her own voice sounds distinctly harsh. _But it has been hard, watching many of my sisters' die, having to let go of friends... and then trying to save this nation,__**my**__nation, not knowing if even our goddess is there to watch over us, much less assist us!_

"Varia, my Queen. Just... meet her. And then you can tell me if I am wrong, if I am crazy. I will gladly do double-duty up in those trees if I am wrong."

And Varia looks at Anteris, judging the woman's words. _Anteris is to be trusted, despite my misgivings. Besides... helping a lost child is not wrong, a lost girl._  
Varia sighs and stands up.  
"Take me to her or bring her to me."

Anteris ducks out and is back within mere moments. The child is at first behind the bigger woman, but then she steps forward. The bow is over her shoulder and she is clutching six arrows in her hand.  
There are smudges of dirt along her body, scuffed up knees and bare feet. Varia glances at the knotted hair, the wide eyes that look around quickly.

They then settle on Varia. They stare at each other for a long time, so long that Anteris begins to shift nervously on her feet. Something in those eyes, though, give Varia pause.  
Something disturbingly familiar.  
Varia looks the child over again, this time her mind latching on to the arrows.  
_Six arrows to be exact. Six arrows and a bow..._  
Varia doesn't want to believe, she is fighting the impulse tooth and nail, but... her own heart starts pounding erratically in her chest.

"Where are you from?" Varia asks. The girl furrows her brow.  
"I... do not know. I woke up in the forest days ago."  
"What is your name?"  
The furrowing melts into something harder, a scowl is firm on the girl's mouth.  
"Do you not know that as well?" Varia prompts. The girl grips the arrows tighter and looks away.  
"I don't know anything. I just woke up and then I used this to catch food."

_She is a little insolent..._ Varia thinks, starting to lose patience with not only the child but with herself as well. _I must be mad to entertain the thought of this girl being anything more than just that!_

**Not mad. Fearful. But she is not to be turned away.** A voice echoes in Varia's mind, causing the woman to stagger back and hit painfully against her table.  
Anteris steps forward quickly and places her hands to the queen's shoulders.

"My queen?" The Amazon questions. Varia looks at Anteris.  
"Did you hear that?" She whispers and Anteris looks at her strangely.  
"Hear what, my queen?"

And Varia pushes past Anteris to look at the child. The child with no name and no past, with a bow... _and with six arrows. Dear Artemis, that was you, was it not? Is it true, that you speak to me after so long and bring this child to us?_

There is no answer, but Varia finds the doubts falling from her eyes. And she kneels down in front of the child, noting the girl's anxiousness and her shyness and her strength. Varia composes herself, clearing her throat in the process.

"Since you know not your name or how you came to be here... I am willing to offer you a home here, until such time you may want to leave. A girl should not wander alone, with no family. So... consider us, the Amazons, your home and your family." Varia states, watching the child for a response.

It is subtle, a softening to her eyes that is then covered up with adolescent bravado. Varia tries to gauge the girl's age, finding it probably somewhere between the twelfth and fourteenth summer.

"I could stay here. For a while." The girl says, looking to the floor and to Varia in rapid succession.

**I knew you'd make a good queen...** The voice rumbles in Varia's mind, fading as quickly as it came. The queen stands up and turns to Anteris.

"Take her and let her clean up. She can sit with me when it is time for evening meal. And then tomorrow... we can teach her of this nation."  
Anteris smiles at Varia, walking to the girl and pushing aside the hut flap-entrance.  
"Come on. The baths are nice, you'll like them." Anteris tells the girl as they both start to walk out.

And Varia sits down, her breathing coming back to a normal speed. The words from Anteris coming back, calling the child a gift.  
_A gift from Artemis... And I will not squander this gift, goddess. This child must be special for you to send her to us. I will protect her with my life if it is her wish._

"Perhaps I'll even see if she would like to be named after you?" Varia questions aloud, waiting to see if there is any reaction, a smile on her face for the first time in a long while.

And Varia swears she hears a laugh in the distance.

*

Gabrielle held on tightly.  
And then everything went black, but she could feel the wind around her... she could feel it coast **through** her as well. It was as if the only thing that was tangible were her thoughts.  
And Xena.  
She could feel Xena in her arms, could feel her weight and feel the warrior's hair against her cheek.  
And Gabrielle would not let go, not this time. No amount of grief or guilt could sway her this time.

The moment Aphrodite's words hit Gabrielle's ears, the woman pulled Xena closer. And she kissed the warrior's face, telling her not to drift off yet. _Just hold on, Xena. I've got you._

And the darkness took them, to where Gabrielle did not know. It didn't matter to her anymore.  
All that mattered was that wherever they went, it was the two of them.  
_As it should be, as it will always be... Oh Xena, all the time we've missed and all the time we've wasted. It used to control me, the thought of what we could have done. But not now. Now, I care for nothing but you and me, for us. I'm not sure where we will end up. But I've got you in my arms. I've got you and I won't let go._

That was the mantra Gabrielle kept repeating to herself, even as her body slowly laid down, even as all recollections seemed to fade away, even as whatever or whoever she was holding onto seemed to be just a figment of her imagination...

She must have passed out, because when Xena opens her eyes... it felt like the whole world was gone.  
Shoving aside the notion that she merely slept through the end of the world, Xena blinks several times.

Her first thought is that it is dark. Not an empty darkness, but like nighttime without a moon above.  
And Xena then notices that she is quite warm, not overly so. Comfortably so.  
_Like someone is wrapped around me._  
Xena starts to turn over, feeling the arms around her tighten minutely. It is a strong hold that Xena finds herself in, one that seems to not want to loosen.  
Once Xena is fully turned toward her unseen companion, the warrior narrows her gaze to see better.  
_It is a woman, I think. I wish there was some light..._

And as if her commands meant something, there was a faint light from above now. Not like the moon, but nothing too out of the ordinary either. Now Xena could see this woman who holds her so securely.  
_I think I know her. She looks really familiar._  
Xena studies the woman before her, the soft lips in a faint sleep smile and the smooth skin.  
_She is very beautiful._  
And that is when Xena notices that they are both naked. Though it seems a little improper, Xena allows her eyes to glance downward.  
_**Very**__beautiful. I wish you would wake up._

Gabrielle was having a wonderful dream, full of sunshine and her feet in a cool stream. She felt content and happy. Then strong hands kneading her shoulders, bringing about the soft sigh of pleasure.  
Before she knew it, Gabrielle felt those hands go from a sure massage to a lengthy caress. It was bliss, pure and unadulterated.  
She leaned back and tilted her head, aching to get a glance at this cause of such wonderful feelings in her body.

Green eyes opened and found blue ones staring back.

And they talked, for hours or days. Every time Gabrielle started a story, Xena seemed to finish it. Every time Xena smiled, Gabrielle seemed to remember seeing that smile a million times before.  
If one of them cried, the other seemed to understand... as if they too had experienced the pain.  
They didn't move from their position, still wrapped about each other. The light above didn't change, not fading away nor getting brighter.

They fell asleep once more, Xena's head resting lightly against Gabrielle's shoulder. Quite without meaning to, Xena let her fingers slide up and down Gabrielle's side, slowly moving her palm along the soft skin.  
And she feels Gabrielle shudder, feels that reaction all the way to her very bones, her soul recognizing something in that response.

"We've done this before." Gabrielle says, her voice strained, not from agony but from quite the opposite.  
"I know." Xena murmurs, moving her hand further up and into Gabrielle's hair.

And they are moving in tandem, touching and grazing each other with fingers and lips.  
Gabrielle notes that with each bit of contact the light above gets steadily brighter, but really... she could care less about that. All she can feel is Xena, this woman she knows so well and yet just met, surrounding her with love.

Xena feels the heat along her exposed back and it is is lovely. Almost as lovely as the sensation of Gabrielle against her, supple and responsive and breathtaking. She makes her way up this body, this woman that she knows like the back of her own hand and yet who is just recently met, and brings her lips finally to Gabrielle's mouth.

And they kiss for the first time. Again.

*

Green eyes open and find blue ones staring back.

"Thank you for coming back to me." Gabrielle whispers.  
"Thank you for not letting me go." Xena whispers in return.

The sun is out. And the grass is fragrant, covering them up in a breeze-blown embrace.

"Is this paradise?" Gabrielle questions, looking skyward and seeing fanciful clouds in the bright blue.  
And any of the old doubts that Xena knows guided her flesh and blood life seem to not be there anymore. The feeling is a good one, as if the slate is finally wiped clean.

"I think so. I think this is our paradise." Xena replies and Gabrielle looks back to the woman holding her, to the woman she is holding as well.  
She looks at the woman who has been everything - a teacher, a friend, an adventure, a lesson, a soulmate, a lover... and Gabrielle finally sees forever looking back.

"I think you are right." Gabrielle says with a smile. Xena smiles as well, dipping her head down and kissing Gabrielle's cheek, her forehead, her chin, her nose and her eyelids.  
And then she repeats it, over and over until Gabrielle shifts her face and Xena finds lips against her own.

And they kiss for the first time. Again.

And this time, it is forever.

*

END


End file.
